Department for Transport

Rescue Services: Llanelli

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which sites in the Llanelli constituency his Department has considered as a potential location for a new coastguard base.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HM Coastguard is reviewing the locations of volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams in this area. When a suitable site has been determined HM Coastguard will liaise with local authorities as appropriate.

Rescue Services: Llanelli

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with representatives of (a) Carmarthenshire County Council and (b) the Welsh Government on the relocation of the Loughor Coastguard to Llanelli.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HM Coastguard is reviewing the locations of volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams in this area. This process is in a very early stage therefore no meetings have been arranged. Once the location has been agreed then if required appropriate consultation will take place.

Rescue Services: Llanelli

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of co-locating the Loughor Coastguard with (a) Llanelli Fire Station, (b) Wales Air Ambulance in Dafen and (c) any other co-location option within the Llanelli area.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: HM Coastguard is reviewing the locations of volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams in this area. This process is in a very early stage and HM Coastguard will consider all options to find the most operationally appropriate location.

Cycleways

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 18 January 2019 to Question 207270 on Cycleways, what representations he has received on commencing provisions in Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 to allow local authorities in England outside London to enforce moving traffic offences, and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The issue of moving traffic enforcement has been raised with the Department for Transport by a number of stakeholders over time, including representatives of local government and transport operators. The Department has no current plans to enable local authorities in England outside London to undertake the civil enforcement of these offences.

East Midlands Trains: Bedford

Mohammad Yasin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he plans to reinstate East Midland Train services to Bedford.

Andrew Jones: Peak calls on East Midlands services have been removed temporarily while we deliver the biggest upgrade to the Midland Main Line since it was completed in 1870, which will help deliver enhanced services from 2020.From December 2020, once the Midland Main Line upgrade is complete, passengers at Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, Bedford, Luton and Luton Airport Parkway will benefit from a new, dedicated East Midlands service into London St Pancras.

Taxis: Licensing

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent estimate he has made of the number of taxi licenses granted to drivers with criminal records in the last five years.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department for Transport does not hold this information. The Government is responsible for setting the regulatory structure within which licensing authorities in England issue taxi and private hire vehicle service licences. Licensing authorities have a duty to ensure that any person to whom they grant a licence is a fit and proper person. As part of this assessment all licensing authorities require an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check; this provides details of convictions and cautions and may include additional information which a chief police officer reasonably believes is relevant and ought to be disclosed. The Department is consulting on draft statutory guidance to be issued to licensing authorities on how they should use the extensive existing powers to protect children and vulnerable adult when using these services. This includes a policy on the assessment of previous criminal convictions. The draft policy places passenger safety as the priority while enabling past offenders to sufficiently evidence that they have been successfully rehabilitated so that they might obtain a licence.

Taxis: Licensing

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that rules, regulations and standards do not diverge in quality between local taxi licensing authorities.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The legislation that provides for licensing of taxi and private hire vehicle services is enabling in its nature, giving local licensing authorities the discretion to set standards that they deem to be appropriate for their area. The Government committed in the response to the report by the Chair of the Task and Finish Group on Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing to take forward legislation when time allows to enable the setting of national minimum standards in licensing. The Department is also consulting on draft statutory guidance to be issued to licensing authorities on how they should use the extensive existing powers to protect children and vulnerable adults when using these services.

Invalid Vehicles

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, for what reasons tandem mobility scooters are prohibited from using public roads and footpaths; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The applicable definition is of an “invalid carriage” in the Chronically Sick and Disabled Persons Act 1970 ("CSDPA"). Section 20 (2) of the CSDPA specifies that invalid carriage is a vehicle, mechanically propelled or not, constructed or adapted for use for the carriage of one person, being a person suffering from some physical defect or disability. For this reason tandem mobility scooters cannot legally be used on pavements or roads in Britain.

Vehicle Number Plates: Flags

Sir Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans he has to regulate UK-registered vehicles that display an EU flag on their number plates after the UK has left the EU; whether he plans to fine the owners of those vehicles; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: Number plates displaying an EU flag can continue to be legally displayed on vehicles before and after the UK leaves the EU. Consequently, owners of vehicles displaying these number plates in the UK will not be fined.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Renewable Energy

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what plans he has in place to ensure that the proportion of renewable resources in the UK's energy mix continues to increase year on year.

Claire Perry: The UK Government has an excellent record of supporting renewables and around a third of UK electricity generation now comes from renewable projects. We announced up to £557 million of annual support for further Contracts for Difference (CfD) in the Clean Growth Strategy, published in October 2017. The next CfD allocation round for less established technologies, including offshore wind, is planned for May this year, and is expected to support the delivery of around 4GW of new renewable electricity capacity. The Government has announced it intends to hold subsequent CfD auctions every two years from 2021, which are expected to deliver 1-2GW of additional offshore wind each year in the 2020s. We are also investing £177 million to further reduce the cost of renewables, including innovation in offshore wind turbine blade technology and foundations. The BEIS £505 million Energy Innovation Programme aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes into the 2020s and 2030s. Full details about BEIS Energy Innovation Programme investments are available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/energy-innovation.We have also consulted on a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) to follow on from the Feed-in Tariffs (FIT) scheme, which will close from 1 April 2019, and has contributed to driving down the cost of renewable electricity, including small-scale solar PV. The SEG will ensure that small-scale renewable generators do not export their electricity to the grid for free. The SEG consultation closed on the 5 March 2019 and we are currently considering the responses submitted. Government will respond in due course. The consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-for-small-scale-low-carbon-generation.

Energy Companies Obligation: West Midlands

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, with reference to the Government's Clean Growth Strategy, what estimate he has made of the amount and proportion of the £3.6 billion Energy Company Obligation that will be allocated to the West Midlands metro area; over what time period that allocation will be spent; and what estimate he has made of the number of homes that will benefit from that allocation.

Claire Perry: Up until September 2018, 132,429 households received ECO measures within the West Midlands. This equates to 117 households per 1,000 households receiving ECO measures compared to 72 households per 1,000 households for Great Britain. These published statistics can be found here (Table 4.4): https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/household-energy-efficiency-statistics-headline-release-february-2019 BEIS does not hold information on the amount of Energy Company Obligation (ECO) funding that is allocated to individual areas. Neither does BEIS project where spending will occur in the future.

ACAS: Languages

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department has plans to make (a) the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and (b) other services more accessible for non-English speaking workers.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 14 March 2019



Acas has a contractual relationship with ‘The Big Word’ to provide translation services. This commenced in July 2017 following the end of a contract with a previous provider. Acas are contacted by customers who require a translation service approximately 536 times per month, and the majority of these contacts are customers phoning their employment law Helpline for advice. Acas are supplied by ‘The Big Word’ with translators which cover many languages with Polish being the most popular, though they have used translators who are able to speak less common languages such as Turkmen.The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate, based in BEIS, provides support direct to agency workers and also offers translation facilities through ‘the Big Word’.

Employment: Enforcement and Inspections

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether his Department plans to increase the resources allocated to labour inspection and labour law enforcement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 14 March 2019



The Government is exploring options for a single labour market enforcement body – we will publish proposals on this for consultation shortly. More recently we announced that this consultation will consider extending the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority’s licensing scheme to further sectors and that we will ensure trade unions and businesses are consulted on the strategic direction of labour market enforcement.As part of the forthcoming Spending Review we will consider what level of funding is appropriate to ensure that it is adequately resourced to deliver its strengthened remit.Government is committed to ensuring fair and effective enforcement. We have taken concrete measures to increase the number of labour market inspectors and extend their coverage.Government has increased funding for HMRC’s enforcement of the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) to a record high of £26.3 million for 2018/19. The NMW enforcement team went from 140 staff in 2015-16 to 424 in 2017/18 (measured on a full-time equivalent basis).Funding for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) has also risen in the last two years to reflect the expansion of its remit to tackle labour exploitation. The GLAA now receives over £7m per year in funding, up from £4.5m in 2016/17.The Employment Agency Standards Inspectorate has seen its funding increase from £0.5m in 2016/17 to £0.725m in 2018/19.The Good Work Plan went further, setting out a number of measures to improve state enforcement of core employment rights. In addition to introducing state enforcement of holiday pay for vulnerable workers, we also committed to expand protection of agency workers to cover umbrella companies.

Post Office: Compensation

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the total amount is of compensation paid from the public purse to sub-postmasters who have left the network under Post Office Ltd's network transformation programme.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many sub-postmasters have conditionally resigned from the Post Office Network but are not able to leave because an alternative cannot be found which would allow them to receive the government-funded leavers payment.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many post offices (a) retailers operate and (b) each retailer operates.

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many temporary sub-postmasters are currently operating branches in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland, and (d) each region of England.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 14 March 2019



The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Matters relating to postmasters, network transformation and the operation of post offices by retailers are operational matters for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Post Office Limited to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Nuclear Reactors: Finance

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 228711, what funding has been spent to date on the strategy for small modular nuclear reactors; and what funding has been contractually committed.

Richard Harrington: Of the up to £56m we announced in the Nuclear Sector Deal towards advanced nuclear technologies we have contractually committed to spend just under £10m on the Advanced Modular Reactor Programme. This includes contracts signed as part of the AMR Feasibility & Development projects and the money provided to the Nuclear Regulators to increase their capability.

Solar Power: Feed-in Tariffs

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to respond to concerns raised by representatives of the solar industry on the proposed Smart Export Guarantee scheme.

Claire Perry: The consultation on a Smart Export Guarantee (SEG) closed on 5 March 2019. We are currently analysing the responses we received and will publish a government response in due course. The consultation is available here:www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-for-small-scale-low-carbon-generation

Post Offices: Franchises

Marion Fellows: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many new Post Office branch franchise opportunities are available in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland. and (d) each region of England.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Matters relating to postmasters, network transformation and the operation of post offices by retailers are operational matters for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Post Office Limited to write to the hon Member on these matters. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Offshore Industry and Shipping: Minimum Wage

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when he last discussed national minimum wage compliance and enforcement in the (a) shipping industry and (b) offshore energy sector with officials of the HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Competition and Markets Authority

Gill Furniss: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what steps his Department plans to take to respond to Lord Tyrie's recommendations on the future role of the Competition and Markets Authority; and what the timetable is for the implementation of that response.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Agency Workers: EU Law

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to his oral contribution of 6 March 2019, Official Report, column 994, on the Swedish derogation, what representations he has received on the timing of the abolition of the Swedish derogation; and when he plans to respond to those representations.

Kelly Tolhurst: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Diplomatic Service

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, where the funding will come from for the proposed expansion of the UK’s diplomatic network; over what period that expansion will take place; and whether that funding will be taken from elsewhere in his departmental budget.

Sir Alan Duncan: The funding for the expansion of the diplomatic network is coming from £90 million of additional resource over two years agreed by the Treasury to support the Government’s Global Britain ambitions. The expansion is planned to cover a period beginning in 2018 and ending in 2020. This funding will not be taken from elsewhere in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s budget. Expansion beyond March 2020 is subject to the forthcoming spending review.

Oyub Titiev

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Russian counterpart on the continued detention of Oyub Titiev.

Sir Alan Duncan: We remain concerned by the continued detention of Oyub Titiev, Head of the Chechnya division of Non-Governmental organisation Memorial. The UK most recently raised this issue in January 2019, when we joined other EU member states in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in calling for Mr Titiev’s immediate release. In November 2018, the UK was one of 16 participating States to invoke the OSCE Moscow Mechanism to investigate human rights abuses in Chechnya. We continue to prioritise the promotion and protection of human rights in Russia, and will continue to make our concerns clear in bilateral interactions at all levels, where appropriate.

Brazil: State Visits

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will guarantee that President Bolsonaro of Brazil will not be accorded the honour of a state visit to the UK during his term in office because of his record of hate speech against members of the LGBT community.

Sir Alan Duncan: There are currently no plans for a State Visit by President Bolsonaro. The UK is a strong champion of LGBT rights and our view on LGBT phobia is clear. We continue to work closely with Brazil, making clear where we disagree.

Cuba: Equal Rights Coalition

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he will formally invite Cuba to join the Equal Rights Coalition during the Government’s term as co-chair of the coalition, in light of the recent progress the Cuban Government has made on LGBT rights.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is looking forward to taking over as co-chair of the Equal Rights Coalition (ERC) in June, partnering with Argentina, and to helping shape the ERC's work to advance global LGBT equality. We will celebrate advancements in the rights of LGBT people around the world, including in Cuba where the newly adopted constitution includes protection against discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and which allows for a future debate and potentially legislation legalising same sex marriage. We are committed to the expansion of the current 40 strong ERC membership and will consider plans for new members when we take over as co-chair from Canada.

Venezuela: British Nationals Abroad

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the safety of (a) British embassy staff and (b) other British nationals resident in Venezuela.

Sir Alan Duncan: We regularly review the safety of British Embassy staff and embassy contingency plans. This planning enables the embassy to respond to situations such as the recent blackout in Venezuela. I have been in direct communication personally with our Ambassador.We maintain contact with British Nationals in Venezuela through a Consular Warden network and by ensuring that information is disseminated via the embassy's website. We also ensure that Travel Advice is regularly reviewed, most recently on 8 March, and published on the GOV.UK website.

World War II: Veterans

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to address the claims by African veterans of the Second World War who received the gratuity payment at the end of that war that the payment was made at different rates based on ethnicity.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The UK is indebted to all servicemen and women from the Commonwealth who volunteered to serve with Britain during the Second World War. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is working closely with colleagues across government to gather information on this issue.

World War II: Veterans

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions (a) he and (b) officials of his Department have had with Royal Commonwealth Ex-Service League on the gratuity payments made to African soldiers made at the end of the Second World War; and whether his Department has information on the number of veterans who were subject to the differential pay.

Harriett Baldwin: Neither I, nor my officials, have had conversations with the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Service League on the gratuity payments made to African soldiers at the end of the Second World War. Following independence, the governments of ex-British colonies usually assumed responsibility for service records relating to their armed forces. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office is working closely with colleagues across government to gather information on this issue.

Cuba: Marriage

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Cuban counterpart on the legalisation of same-sex marriage in that country.

Sir Alan Duncan: During the Cuban President's visit to the UK in November 2018, I discussed the matter directly with the Cuban Foreign Minister. The UK continues to raise the issue of the rights of the LGBT population with the Cuban government both as part of its bilateral dialogue and through the EU Political Dialogue and Cooperation Agreement.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Sir Alan Duncan: All public government consultations are uploaded onto GOV.UK where they can be filtered by department, status and date. The Foreign Office has published four documents since 2016. For all of these the consultation processes have been concluded. These were: (a) Public consultation on the United Kingdom's future legal framework for imposing and implementing sanctions (2 August 2017) (published jointly with HMT and DIT); (b) Consultation on the UK's Foreign Travel Advice service (25 April 2017); (c) Defence and security innovation: proposed accelerator (11 August 2016) (published jointly with DfT, Home Office, MOD, Dstl, CDE and BEIS); and (d) BIOT Resettlement Policy Review consultation (21 January 2016). There are no consultations pending.

Ukraine: Elections

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has held with his Ukrainian counterparts on potential foreign interference in that country's forthcoming presidential election.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK remains concerned over persistent attempts by Russia to undermine political stability in Ukraine, including through disinformation campaigns and cyber-attacks. The Foreign Secretary and I continue to discuss these issues with international partners, including our Ukrainian counterparts. UK officials also continue to work closely with the Ukrainian Government to help strengthen Ukraine's resilience against Russia's actions. We are providing substantial assistance to strengthen Ukraine's democracy and institutions, including countering potential outside interference in the upcoming presidential and parliamentary elections.

Giulio Regeni

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on their cooperation with the Italian investigation into the murder of former Cambridge University student, Guilio Regeni.

Alistair Burt: We were appalled by the murder of Giulio Regeni in Cairo and we continue to monitor the investigation into his death. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We have consistently raised our concerns with the Egyptian authorities at both Ministerial and official levels, stressing the need for a full and impartial investigation into the circumstances of Mr Regeni's murder. We continue to offer our full support to Italy and urge the Egyptian Government to cooperate fully with the Italian investigators in order to bring Mr Regeni's killers to justice as soon as possible.

North Korea: Sanctions

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of countries breaking UN sanctions on North Korea; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: It is clear that not all countries are fully implementing sanctions, as demonstrated by the UN Panel of Experts report of 5 March. The Government keeps close track of North Korean sanctions implementation and responds robustly when there is evidence of sanctions breaches. We are active in working with and lobbying, where necessary, international partners to ensure that all relevant UN Security Council measures in respect of North Korea are fully implemented. Until North Korea takes concrete steps towards denuclearisation, sanctions must remain and all states must enforce them in full. We welcome the work of the UN Panel of Experts who are mandated to gather, examine and analyse information provided by States on their implementation of the measures, as well as information on incidents of non-compliance. The Panel’s latest report details continued evasion of sanctions by North Korea and insufficient implementation of sanctions by a wide range of countries. The report and previous reports can be found at https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/sanctions/1718/panel_experts/reports.​

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216183 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings, what his Department's rationale is for owning two properties with an asset value of over £5 million in Accra.

Alistair Burt: There are two residential-related properties in Accra worth over £5 million. One has been deemed surplus and put on the market. The other is being planned for re-development.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 11 February 2019 to Question 216183 on Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Buildings, what his Department's rationale is for owning two properties with an asset value of over £5 million in Belgrade.

Alistair Burt: ​The two properties each with an asset value of over £5 million in Belgrade are the British Embassy and the Ambassador's Residence. These buildings provide a dedicated base from which diplomats can promote UK interests in Serbia. There are no plans to dispose of either property.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Violence

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo on their response to the violent clashes in Yumbi territory in December 2018.

Harriett Baldwin: ​We are very concerned about the violence that took place in Yumbi territory, western Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in December 2018. A recent report from the United Nations Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in the DRC suggests as many as 890 people were killed; thousands more were displaced. We echo the comments made by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet: we condemn all such violence and the perpetrators of these terrible crimes must be brought to justice as soon as possible. Our Embassy in the DRC has raised our concerns with government authorities in the region and with local UN representatives.

South Sudan: Sanctions

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 4 July 2018 to Question 157685 on South Sudan: Sanctions, whether the power to issue sanctions under the Magnitsky clauses contained in the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 would come into force (a) on the day the UK leaves the EU or (b) at the end of a transitional period.

Harriett Baldwin: The Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018 (the Sanctions Act) provides powers for the UK to make secondary legislation to impose sanctions, including to provide accountability for, or to deter, gross human rights violations. On 6 March 2019, the FCO laid S.I. 2019/438 in Parliament for the UK to impose, once commenced, South Sudan sanctions for a range of purposes, including promoting respect for human rights and the peace, stability and security of South Sudan. During the Implementation Period (IP), the UK will remain bound by EU sanctions. We will look to use the powers provided by the Sanctions Act to the fullest extent possible during the IP, but there are some limitations on the measures that we can impose autonomously.

China: Ethnic Groups

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether Uighur Muslims in Chinese camps have been denied their basic human rights.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. Visits to Xinjiang by diplomats from the British Embassy in Beijing have corroborated much of this open source reporting.Ministers and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities for some time, and will continue to do so. At the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council which ran from February to March 2019, Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about Xinjiang during his opening address (on 25 February). The UK also raised concerns about Xinjiang during our item 4 statement on 12 March, and we co-sponsored a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” on 13 March.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November 2018, the UK made a statement which described our concerns about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs.Following the Universal Periodic Review, Lord Ahmad issued a statement where he said: “I am very concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the re-education camps and the widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities, particularly the Uyghurs. The UK and many of our international partners have made clear during China’s UPR that this is a priority issue. We recommended that China should implement CERD recommendations in Xinjiang and allow the UN to monitor implementation.”​

China: Ethnic Groups

Naz Shah: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations his Department has received on the welfare of Uigher Muslims being held in internment camps in China.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports that over 1 million Uyghur Muslims have been held in re-education camps, and reports of widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities. Visits to Xinjiang by diplomats from the British Embassy in Beijing have corroborated much of this open source reporting.Ministers and senior officials have been raising our concerns directly with the Chinese authorities for some time, and will continue to do so. At the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council which ran from February to March 2019, Lord Ahmad raised our concerns about Xinjiang during his opening address (on 25 February). The UK also raised concerns about Xinjiang during our item 4 statement on 12 March, and we co-sponsored a side event on “Protecting the fundamental freedoms in Xinjiang” on 13 March.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November 2018, the UK made a statement which described our concerns about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs.Following the Universal Periodic Review, Lord Ahmad issued a statement where he said: “I am very concerned about the human rights situation in Xinjiang, including the re-education camps and the widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities, particularly the Uyghurs. The UK and many of our international partners have made clear during China’s UPR that this is a priority issue. We recommended that China should implement CERD recommendations in Xinjiang and allow the UN to monitor implementation.”

Nasrin Sotoudeh

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in Iran on the sentencing of Nasrin Sotoudeh.

Alistair Burt: On 12 March the Foreign Secretary publicly shared his concerns about the sentencing of Nasrin Sotoudeh. We regularly raise the issue of human rights with the Iranian Government at all levels, and urge them to cease the harassment and arbitrary detention of all human rights defenders.​

Attorney General

Offences against Children: Plea Bargaining

Sarah Champion: To ask the Attorney General, what proportion of prosecutions for child sexual abuse involved the CPS accepting a defendant's guilty plea to lesser charges in 2017.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Attorney General, in how many cases prosecuted under sections (a) 5 to 9, (b) 16 and (c) 25 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 the CPS accepted a defendant's guilty plea to lesser charges in 2017.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of guilty pleas received and accepted to lesser charges in all cases, including defendants prosecuted for the offences created by sections (a) 5 to 9, (b) 16 and (c) 25 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate costHowever, data is available for the number of defendants whose prosecution was completed, where the case has been flagged as child abuse, and where the principal offence at finalisation is categorised as a sexual offence.The CPS definition of child abuse covers any case where the victim was under 18 years of age at the time of the offence and allegations or crimes perpetrated by both adults and under 18s.During each of the last three years, the number of defendants entering a guilty plea, in cases flagged as child abuse and whose principal offence was identified as a sexual offence, is as follows: 2015-20162016-20172017-2018Guilty Pleas3,5784,1273,689% Guilty Pleas57.6%57.5%57.8%Total Prosecuted6,2177,1816,378It is not possible to disaggregate figures to show separately the volume and outcome of proceedings for individual offences within the Sexual Offences Category. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.

Department of Health and Social Care

Physiotherapy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the number of physiotherapists that will be working in primary care in each of the next five years.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the increase in the number of physiotherapists that will be working in primary care networks over the next three years; and what steps his Department is taking to achieve that increase.

Steve Brine: The NHS Long Term Plan made a clear commitment to the future of general practice, with primary and community care set to receive at least £4.5 billion more in real terms a year by 2023/24, meaning spending on these services will grow faster than the rising National Health Service budget. Since the launch of the Long Term Plan, NHS England and the British Medical Association’s General Practitioners (GP) Committee have agreed a five-year GP (General Medical Services) contract framework from 2019/20. The new contract framework will be essential to deliver the ambitions set out in the NHS Long Term Plan through strong general practice services. The contract included funding for the new Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme, in Primary Care Networks (PCNs). PCNs will be guaranteed funding for an up to estimated 20,000 additional staff by 2023/24. This funds new roles for which there is both credible supply and demand. The scheme will meet a recurrent 70% of the costs of additional clinical pharmacists, physician associates, first contact physiotherapists, and first contact community paramedics; and 100% of the costs of additional social prescribing link workers.

Physiotherapy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that people living with chronic pain receive support from physiotherapists to help them stay in employment.

Steve Brine: The routine assessment and management of pain is a required competency of all healthcare professionals. Many patients with chronic pain can be successfully supported and managed through routine primary and secondary care pain management services. Approaches to treatment are not all pharmacological; education in self-management techniques to aid symptom control may also be appropriate for some patients. As set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, published on 7 January 2019, NHS England will expand the number of physiotherapists working in primary care networks, enabling people to see the right professional first time, without needing a general practitioner referral. NHS England will also expand access to support such as the online version of ESCAPE-pain (Enabling Self-management and Coping with Arthritic Pain through Exercise), a digital version of the well-established, face-to-face group programme.

Medical Treatments

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the ability of medium-sized companies to pay the proposed charges for continuing to submit technology appraisals and highly specialised technology recommendations.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support his Department plans to provide to medium-sized companies who will not be eligible for the 75 per cent discount in relation to the proposed charges for making a technology appraisal and a highly specialised technology appraisal.

Steve Brine: The Government consulted on the proposed introduction of charges for the development of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisal and highly specialised technology recommendations and has taken full account of the comments received in the Government response which is available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nice-recommendations-charging-and-appeal-panels The Government states in the response that it is of the view that the proposed NICE charges are affordable for medium-sized companies, but that it will keep this position under review. As explained in the Government response and Impact Assessment, small companies whose products are undergoing assessment will benefit from a 75% discount, which is intended to minimise barriers to the participation of small companies.

Biosimilar Medicines

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Biosimilars Medicines Programme Board is effectively overseeing hospital trusts in relation to following shared decision-making principles and patient consent guidance when implementing biosimilar switching programmes; and what steps his Department has taken when that guidance has not been followed.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how Regional Medicines Optimisation Committees are monitoring and measuring the uptake of best value biological medicines; and what steps those committees are taking to ensure that patient consent and involvement is consistently observed.

Steve Brine: NHS England has issued guidance around the commissioning of biological medicines and expects clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to give due consideration to this guidance. The Commissioning Framework sets out the importance of developing local policies to support switching patients to biosimilars in line with best practice, but ultimately CCGs and hospital trusts are accountable for their own local decision making. All National Health Service organisations have a responsibility to encourage a shift in moving to shared decision making, and in ensuring that all patient consultations are done with a focus on shared decision making, and are happening at an individual healthcare professional/patient level. NHS England has also made clear that the decision to prescribe a biological medicine for an individual patient, whether an originator or biosimilar, or to change between the two, rests with the responsible prescriber in consultation with the patient, in line with the principles of shared decision making. Uptake of best value biological medicines is monitored and measured via the NHS Improvement Model Hospital Dashboard. The Regional Medicines Optimisation Committee’s (RMOC) role is to review regional variation, understand the reasons for it and signpost outliers to implementation tools/guidance to support increased uptake. The RMOC work on best value biological medicines is done so in line with the shared care principles set out in the Commissioning Framework for best value biological medicines, including biosimilar medicines.

Biosimilar Medicines

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of NHS Improvement's metrics to support biosimilar uptake within the Model Hospital dashboard on adherence to best practice guidance on shared-decision making and patient consent, and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The Department has made no assessment. NHS Improvement holds a joint role in supporting the National Health Service to use the best value biologic medicine which is part of a long standing programme of work connected to the NHS Biosimilar Medicines Steering Group, the NHS England Medicines Value Programme and the NHS Improvement Top 10 Medicines remit. The Biosimilars Medicines Steering Group is intended to ensure appropriate use of biosimilar medicines across the NHS in England. This includes a focus on the importance of shared decision making and patient consent. The steering group has produced commissioning guidance which sets out best practice in shared decision making and which is fully endorsed by patient groups.

Electromagnetic Fields: Health Hazards

Tonia Antoniazzi: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 29 January 2019 to Question 210707 on electromagnetic fields: health hazards, whether the independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation plans to make an assessment of the effect on health of (a) developments and advances in the use and coverage of wireless signals across the UK since 2012 and (b) the roll out 5G networks.

Steve Brine: The independent Advisory Group on Non-ionising Radiation (AGNIR) came to an end in 2017. Further information can be seen at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/advisory-group-on-non-ionising-radiation-agnir Public Health England (PHE) continues to monitor the health-related evidence in respect of electromagnetic fields, including the radio waves from developing wireless communication systems such as 5G. PHE remains committed to delivering expert review reports on non-ionising radiation topics, as and when sufficient new evidence has accumulated.

Smoking: Health Services

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the NHS rollout of lung cancer scanning programmes, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of smoking cessation methods.

Steve Brine: The evidence is clear that expert face-to-face support from a local stop smoking service, combined with stop smoking aids, is the most effective quitting method. People who get this support are up to four times as likely to stop smoking successfully as those who try to quit unaided. This evidence can be viewed at the following link: http://www.ncsct.co.uk/publication_Stop_smoking_services_impact_on_quitting.php Local authorities in England are responsible for commissioning stop smoking services that meet the identified need in their areas and are targeted at the people who need it most. NHS England published the Standard Protocol for the Targeted Lung Health Check programme which says participants will be asked about their smoking habits when they attend a lung health check, and offered smoking cessation advice and treatment. This programme can be viewed at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/targeted-screening-for-lung-cancer/

Diabetes: Medical Equipment

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to widen access to blood glucose monitoring technology for diabetes patients.

Steve Brine: Glucose monitoring technology, such as continuous glucose monitoring or blood glucose test strips, will continue to be available to those meeting the relevant clinical criteria. In November 2018, NHS England announced that it will ensure that flash glucose monitoring is available on prescription for all patients who qualify for it in line with current recommendations. From April 2019, all qualifying patients will be able to receive it from their local general practitioner or diabetes team.

Pharmacy: Finance

Matthew Pennycook: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the reduction in Category M prices and the single activity fee on the financial sustainability of community pharmacies.

Steve Brine: The overall funding for the community pharmacy contractual framework (CPCF) has not been reduced since 2017/18 and remains at £2.592 billion for 2018/19. The Department ensures delivery of this amount by adjusting the fees paid for services and the reimbursement paid for products throughout the year. Where there is over or under payment we make appropriate adjustment to either fees or product reimbursement (typically those in Category M) to address the difference. The impact assessment for the current CPCF funding is at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/community-pharmacy-reforms The current recovery of excess medicine margin at £10 million per month, as agreed by the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee, ceases at the end of March 2019.

Dermatology

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect on patient care of reforms to dermatology services at Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust; and what plans his Department has to improve the effectiveness and availability of dermatology services throughout the UK.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many patients with (a) psoriasis, (b) atopic dermatitis and (c) hidradenitis suppurativa were seen by a dermatologist in 2018 in (i) Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust and (ii) nationally.

Steve Brine: No assessment has been made. The commissioning and configuration of dermatology services in England is a local matter. The local National Health Service is best placed to make decisions that ensure services meet the needs of resident populations in the most appropriate way. Health is a devolved matter, and as such, dermatology services in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved administrations. The majority of patients with dermatological disorders are managed in primary and community care. Whilst some patients may be referred for outpatient care, data collection here is not mandated, and is therefore partial and incomplete. Furthermore, the data that is available reports episodes of care, which are not a count of patients, as the same patient may have multiple episodes of care for the same reason.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the savings accrued to the public purse by North Lincolnshire Care Commissioning Group as a result of the implementation of Yorkshire and Humber AHSN’s improved faecal calprotectin pathway for diagnosis of Inflammatory Bowel Disease; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: No estimate has been made. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends faecal calprotectin testing as an option to help doctors distinguish between inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs), such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and non-IBDs, such as irritable bowel syndrome. The NICE IBD Quality Standard states that general practitioners (GP) and GP practices should ensure that testing is offered and clinical commissioning groups should ensure the diagnostic services are in place to support this. NHS England has produced a consensus guidance document that supports implementation of the NICE guidance. Both the guidance and statement can be found at the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/dg11/resources/endorsed-resource-the-use-of-faecal-calprotectin-in-primary-care-as-a-decision-diagnostic-for-inflammatory-bowel-disease-and-irritable-bowel-syndrome-4595859613

Pain

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of assessment and management of chronic pain by (a) general practitioners, (b) nurses and (c) pharmacists.

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that general practitioners, nurses and pharmacists are competent in the routine assessment and management of chronic pain.

Steve Brine: The routine assessment and management of pain is a required competency of all healthcare professionals. Many patients with chronic pain can be successfully supported and managed through routine primary and secondary care pain management services. Approaches to treatment are not all pharmacological; education in self-management techniques to aid symptom control may also be appropriate for some patients. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is currently developing guidance on the assessment and management of chronic pain aimed at all settings in which National Health Service and local authority commissioned care is provided. The guidance is expected to be published on 19 August 2020. Guidance scope for the NICE clinical guidance document in development can be found via the following link: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/gid-ng10069/documents/final-scope

Diabetes

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the timescale is for a second round of the Diabetes Transformation Fund; and how areas in need will be able to bid for that funding as part of the NHS Long-Term plan.

Steve Brine: The National Implementation Framework, to be published in the spring, will provide further information on how the Long Term Plan will be implemented, including for Diabetes Transformation Funding.

Metoprolol

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he has taken to ensure the continued availability of the Beta Blocker Metoprolol for people who are prescribed this medicine on the NHS.

Steve Brine: The Department is aware of a supply issue affecting metoprolol 50mg and 100mg tablets. The issue has been caused due to some manufacturers discontinuing the products and other manufacturers experiencing supply difficulties. Limited supplies of both strengths of tablet are currently available. While further deliveries of both the 50mg and 100mg tablet are expected to be released to the United Kingdom market during March, supplies of metoprolol are likely to be intermittent for a number of months. The Department has worked with NHS England, NHS Improvement, UK Medicines Information and specialist clinicians to develop guidance for clinicians to use with their patients, who may be affected by this supply issue. The guidance outlines management options, including the use of alternative beta blockers and monitoring requirements during switching, should this be necessary. Information about this supply issue and the clinical guidance has been cascaded through primary and secondary care networks in the NHS. Departmental officials are working with all manufacturers of metoprolol to resolve the situation as quickly as possible and will continue to monitor the supply situation for all beta blockers closely.

Bowel Cancer: Screening

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to NICE diagnostics guidance DG27, when NHS England plans to decide whether it will prioritise genetic testing for Lynch syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: Over the coming months NHS England will be working with clinical commissioning group pathology service commissioners to discuss the development of a joint policy proposition relating to testing for Lynch syndrome that takes into account the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance and helps to ensure that patients and their families receive the genetic test where appropriate. As part of the development work we will explore how best to support implementation during 2019/20.

Health Services: Birmingham

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the specifications of the Clinical Commissioning Group plans to improve medical services for homeless citizens in Birmingham; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: There is a dedicated and specialist service for homeless patients, and rough sleepers, in central Birmingham. The clinical commissioning group has established a project group, which includes a range of stakeholders (health, social care and third sector), to inform the development of the health contribution to an integrated homeless service model. The Department has made no specific assessment of the plans. However, the clinical commissioning group will continue to carefully monitor the quality of services provided.

Blood: Contamination

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether the UK Government has accepted responsibility for the contaiminated blood products that were imported from the US during the 1970s and 1980s that caused some people in the UK to be infected with both HIV and Hepatitis.

Jackie Doyle-Price: In July 2017 the Prime Minister announced a full public inquiry, under the Inquiries Act 2005, to conduct an independent review of all the events surrounding the tragedy of infection with blood products. Following a consultation, the Inquiry’s wide ranging, and United Kingdom-wide terms of reference were presented to Parliament by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Rt. hon David Lidington MP), and published in July 2018. Those terms of reference include to “…identify…any individual responsibilities, as well as organisational and systemic failures.” Further information is available on the Inquiry’s website at the following link:https://www.infectedbloodinquiry.org.uk/

England Infected Blood Support Scheme

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the support provided to people through the England Infected Blood Support Scheme.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Following two extensive public consultations in 2016 and 2017, the current infected blood support scheme for England was introduced in 2017. These reforms committed an additional £125 million of support to those affected over the Spending Review period to April 2021, more than doubling the Department’s annual spending on the scheme. New annual payments for people with stage 1 hepatitis C infection and a new one-off payment for bereaved partners and spouses were introduced. In addition, a new process for those with stage 1 hepatitis C infection who consider their infection, or its treatment, to have a substantial and long-term impact on their ability to carry out routine daily activities to apply for the higher payment amount was also announced. Alongside these reforms a single programme of discretionary support for all, infected and bereaved, was introduced with an increased level of funding available. The Government has noted recent concerns that have been raised through the Infected Blood Inquiry about the support provided. This matter is receiving careful consideration and an update will be provided as soon as practicable.

Foetuses: Analgesics

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answers of 6 February 2019 and 26 February 2019 to Question 214478 on Foetuses: Surgery and Question 223137 on Abortion, which establish a variation in practice for some procedures in the womb for the administration of pain relief for unborn babies of 20 weeks, for what reasons there are such variations in practice; what steps he is taking to tackle such variations in practice; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department does not set clinical practice. It is for clinicians to determine whether it is appropriate to provide fetal pain relief. Decisions will be informed by the individual circumstances of each case and consideration of appropriate professional guidelines.

Down's Syndrome: Screening

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information he holds on the number of NHS hospitals that offer non-invasive pregnancy testing onsite; and what steps are being taken to monitor the effect of that onsite provision on the birth rate of babies with Down's syndrome.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The national evaluative roll out for non-invasive pregnancy testing (NIPT) as a contingent screening test is yet to be implemented into the NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme. Therefore, no information is held on the effect of NIPT on the birth rate of babies with Down's syndrome or the number of National Health Service hospitals that offer non-invasive pregnancy testing onsite. Once NIPT is rolled out, data on the choices women make regarding screening and/or diagnosis will be collected. Data will also be collected on the pregnancy outcomes of women who choose to have screening, including babies born with Down’s syndrome.

Medical Treatments

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 7 March 2019 to Question 226647 on Medical Treatments, whether suppliers have confirmed that they have plans in place to air freight short shelf-life medicines, including medical radioisotopes, to avoid any border delays that may arise in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: Our number one priority is for patients to continue to have access to medicines, including medical radioisotopes, whatever the European Union exit outcome, and we have robust contingency plans in place. Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. However, as a responsible Government we must plan for every possible outcome including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK. The Department has been working with industry to ensure that air freight is contracted to maintain continuity of supply for certain short shelf-life products, including medical radioisotopes, in the initial period following 29 March 2019 should the United Kingdom leave the EU without a deal. Throughout enacting our plans, the response from industry has been extremely positive. Industry shares our aims of ensuring continuity of medicines’ supply for patients is maintained and that companies are able to cope with any potential delays at the border that may arise in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal. We are confident that if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and other medical products will be uninterrupted.

Drugs: Misuse

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if the Government will legislate for the mandatory provision by local authorities of treatment for drug misuse.

Steve Brine: In 2018 the Department published a call for evidence of the impact of regulations that require local authorities to take certain steps under their duties to improve health. We are considering the responses to that exercise and will publish for consultation any proposal for changes to the existing regulations. Meanwhile the public health grant that funds local authorities’ health responsibilities remains subject to the condition that they must use it with regard to the need to improve the take up of, and outcomes from, their substance misuse treatment services.

Heroin: Medical Treatments

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will support the provision of heroin-assisted treatment services throughout England.

Steve Brine: Heroin Assisted Treatment (HAT) can be an effective way of treating individuals for whom other opioid substitutes have not been effective. This is an option open to local areas under the existing legal framework. Given that funding decisions on drug and alcohol treatment have been devolved, it is for local areas to decide whether to commission HAT services based on an assessment of local need.

Tomography: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what engagement with (a) patients, (b) the public and (c) other stakeholders NHS England undertook for the second phase of tendering PET-CT services across England.

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether NHS England consulted (a) MPs, (b) cancer charities (c) doctors' groups and (d) cancer specialists during the second phase of the PET-CT services tendering process throughout England; and how many people were consulted during that process.

Steve Brine: NHS England completed a 30-day public engagement about the Phase II procurement proposals between January – February 2016. This was publicised on both NHS England’s website and its Engage portal. Further details of public engagement can be found at the following link: https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/survey/pet-ct-services/ As this was a public engagement exercise it was open to all stakeholders, including patients and members of the public. NHS England is committed to ensuring that the public are involved in decision making. Where new service proposals would result in substantial development or variation, such as location change, further public involvement activities will be undertaken. In accordance with established procurement practices, which ensure impartial decision making, NHS England has not consulted with any stakeholder groups or hon. Members during the procurement process.

Arthritis: Drugs

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of leaving the EU without a deal on the supply of medicine for juvenile idiopathic arthritis.

Stephen Hammond: Leaving the European Union with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. However, as a responsible Government we must plan for every possible outcome including ‘no deal’. The Department has published guidance to industry and the health and care system to allow them to make informed plans and preparations. This is available on GOV.UK. The Government has been working closely with industry to ensure the supply of medicines can continue uninterrupted in the event of a ‘no deal’ EU exit, including building stockpiles, providing additional warehousing space, and buying freight capacity on alternative ferry routes. In August 2018, the Department wrote to all pharmaceutical companies that supply prescription-only and pharmacy medicines, including those to treat juvenile idiopathic arthritis, to the United Kingdom that come from or via the EU/European Economic Area, asking them to ensure a minimum of six weeks’ additional supply in the UK over and above existing business-as-usual buffer stocks by 29 March 2019. This has been a very large undertaking but the response from industry has been extremely positive. The vast majority of companies have confirmed stockpiling plans are in place and medicines continue to arrive to deliver on these plans. Local stockpiling of medicines is unnecessary and could cause shortages in other areas, which could put patient care at risk. It is important that patients order their repeat prescriptions as normal and keep taking their medicines as normal. We are confident that if everyone does what they need to do, the supply of medicines and other medical products will be uninterrupted.

NHS: Biosimilar Medicines

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2019 on the NHS England Commissioning Framework for Biological Medicines in relation to changes in medicine without prior consultation with a patient.

Steve Brine: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Glasgow South West (Chris Stephens MP) on 14 February 2019 to Question 219498.

Eating Disorders

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress is being made towards standardised training for doctors and health professionals on eating disorders.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Health Education England continues to work with stakeholders including patient groups, eating disorder charities, the General Medical Council (GMC), Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, and the Medical Schools Council and is contributing to ongoing work to standardise the undergraduate and postgraduate training for doctors across the specialties, sharing best practice, learning and expertise across the wider workforce and health care professionals. Each individual medical school sets its own undergraduate medical curriculum. These must meet the standards set by the GMC, which then monitors schools to make sure that these standards are maintained. The GMC sets out the knowledge, skills and behaviours that new United Kingdom medical graduates must be able to demonstrate. All doctors including general practitioners will receive training that will enable them to identify the conditions, take appropriate action and refer as appropriate. The curricula for postgraduate specialty training are set by individual royal colleges and faculties, and the GMC approves curricula and assessment systems for each training programme.

Department for International Development

Department for International Development: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many consultations by her Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Alistair Burt: All public government consultations are uploaded onto GOV.UK where one can filter consultations by many criteria, including department, official document status and date of publication.a) None are openb) A response has been issued to all consultationsc) Two have been initiated since 2016

Niger: Marie Stopes International

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224486 on Niger: Marie Stopes International (MSI), what assessment her Department has made of the validity of reports of Nigerien authorities enforcing the cessation of MSI abortion procedures at a number of their clinics.

Alistair Burt: Marie Stopes International are a valued partner in our comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights work. DFID’s assessment is that we have seen no evidence of any illegal activity in Niger on their part and no formal allegations have been made to us. DFID funds cannot be used to fund any illegal activities. We treat allegations of any improper use of funds extremely seriously. The process for reporting allegations is on our website: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development.

Developing Countries: Abortion

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 21 February 2019 to Question 221581, in which other countries in receipt of aid from the UK does the UK not provide funding to support the provision of abortion services.

Alistair Burt: DFID has a range of bilateral and multi-country programmes supporting a package of women’s reproductive and maternal health information and services. It is not possible to provide a break down by safe abortion or post-abortion care alone. DFID supports provision of safe abortion services as allowed by local laws. Where access to abortion is highly restricted, we can help make the consequences of unsafe abortion more widely understood and can consider supporting policy reform.

Alan Guttmacher Institute

Fiona Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224485 on the Alan Guttmacher Institute, in what year her Department most recently verified the accuracy of the illegal abortion statistics provided by the Guttmacher Institute; and what the outcome was of that most recent assessment.

Alistair Burt: DFID reviews the Guttmacher Institute’s performance in March each year and, throughout the year, keeping abreast of all publications – including estimations of induced abortions. The Guttmacher Institute has a strong reputation for producing high quality scientific research and data for evidence-based policy. As such, DFID has confidence in their independent estimates.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Degrees

Mr Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has in addition to the levy transfer, to review the (a) barriers and (b) incentives to non-levy participation in degree apprenticeships.

Anne Milton: Holding answer received on 13 March 2019



We continue to keep the apprenticeship programme under review.Level 6+ apprenticeships and degree apprenticeships were introduced in 2015 to bring the benefits of employer-led jobs with training to all levels of apprenticeship employment. We are working to move non-levy paying employers away from the current funding system to give them access to the same award-winning digital service as levy payers. We will provide more information on the transition by July.We recognise that small and medium-sized enterprises, most of whom do not pay the apprenticeship levy, are the lifeblood of our economy and it is essential that our reforms work for these employers. Smaller employers that do not pay the levy already benefit from generous co-investment with 90% of training and assessment costs for apprenticeships provided by government. Government co-investment will increase to 95% in 2019.The National Apprenticeship Service works through intermediary organisations (trade associations, business representative bodies and local partnerships) to reach smaller employers and increase engagement in apprenticeships. Through these organisations, we can reach up to 1.5 million employers.We will continue to review the apprenticeship programme and to ensure we have the right incentives and remove barriers where it is possible.

STEM Subjects

Mr David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department has taken to increase the take-up of STEM subjects.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 13 March 2019



The Department is committed to addressing the shortage of science, technology engineering mathematics (STEM) skills so it can grow the workforce needed for a dynamic economy. The Department is doing this by encouraging more young people into STEM education and training at all stages from primary school to higher education, improving teaching, and highlighting the variety of careers that STEM pathways have to offer. As part of the Industrial Strategy, the Government has committed substantial spending on Maths, digital and technical education and is funding programmes to increase the take-up and better teaching of Maths, Science and computing in schools. This includes a new £84 million programme to improve computing teaching and the Advanced Maths Premium to encourage more schools and colleges to teach pupils maths post-16. The Department is also improving STEM careers advice in schools. The Government’s careers strategy asks that STEM activities, including employer talks and work visits, are built into school career programmes. The Careers & Enterprise Company funds opportunities for young people to meet a wide range of STEM employers. In areas where STEM qualification uptake is lowest, they are working with Local Enterprise Partnerships to make sure that STEM opportunities are built into careers and enterprise plans.

Sex and Relationship Education

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the publication of final guidance and regulations on teaching Relationship and Sex Education and Health Education in schools, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of including lessons on combating loneliness and social isolation.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 13 March 2019



The Government wants all young people to be happy, healthy and safe; equipping them for adult life and to make a positive contribution to society. That is why relationships education is being made compulsory for all primary pupils and relationships and sex education is being made compulsory for secondary pupils. From 2020, health education will also be compulsory for all state-funded pupils.The Department recently published the updated draft guidance, attached, which contains information on what schools should cover when teaching these subjects.Pupils will be taught about healthy relationships including friendships, developing good physical health and mental wellbeing and the benefits of engagement in activities such as volunteering. The subjects will also address how isolation and loneliness can affect children and the importance of children discussing their feelings with an adult, including how to seek further support if necessary. 



228726_Government_Response_to_RSE_Consultation
(PDF Document, 533.57 KB)

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much capital funding his Department will spend on (a) creating new school places and (b) investing in existing school buildings in each of the next five fiscal years.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, on which projects his Department will spend funding from (a) capital departmental expenditure limits and (b) capital annually managed expenditure in each fiscal year from 2018-19 to 2020-21.

Nick Gibb: The Department is investing £23 billion in the school estate in the current Spending Review period (2016-17 to 2020-21) to deliver new school places, rebuild or refurbish buildings in the worst condition and deliver thousands of condition projects across the school estate. The Department also invests capital in other sectors, including higher education, further education and children’s social care.The Department has committed £7 billion to create new school places between 2015 and 2021. Alongside our investment in the free schools programme, we expect this to provide 600,000 new places. Local authority basic need allocations are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/basic-need-allocations. Local authority allocations for new places and improved facilities for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/send-provision-capital-funding-for-pupils-with-ehc-plans. There are 443 free schools open as of 1 March 2019 (520 including university technical colleges (UTCs) and studio schools) and a further 263 free schools (264 including 1 UTC) currently in the pipeline. The Department has allocated £6 billion in condition funding since 2015 to maintain and improve school buildings. In addition to this, the Department is rebuilding or refurbishing more than 500 school buildings in the poorest condition, through the Priority Schools Building Programme. The main project or programme that makes up the Department’s spend in Capital Annually Managed Expenditure is student loans, where projections for this Spending Review can be seen in the data table on page 178 of the ‘Department’s Annual Report and Accounts 2017-18’, using the link below:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/728074/DfE_annual_reports_and_accounts_17_to_18_-_WEB.pdf. The Department will set out detailed plans for funding in future years of this Spending Review as part of its scheduled Main Estimates. Funding beyond this period will be agreed as part of the next Spending Review.

Day Care: Children

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much his Department will spend on providing free childcare to (a) two-year-olds and (b) three and four-year-olds in each of the next five fiscal years.

Nadhim Zahawi: We will be spending around £6 billion on childcare support in 2019-20 – a record amount. That will include funding for our early education entitlements. For 2019-20, current allocations for 2, 3 and 4-year-olds are £2.75 billion. The allocation tables can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dedicated-schools-grant-dsg-2019-to-2020. Spending decisions beyond 2019-20 will be a matter for the Spending Review.

Education and Skills Funding Agency: Applications

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reason gender is a mandatory field on funding applications to the Education and Skills Funding Agency; and whether he plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of that agency's funding application form.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Nurseries: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the speech by the Children and Families Minister announcing new early years funding, of 28 February 2019, whether additional funding for maintained nurseries will be funded from new revenue from HM Treasury.

Nadhim Zahawi: Maintained Nursery Schools (MNS) make a valuable contribution to improving the lives of some of our most disadvantaged children.We have been providing around £60 million per year of supplementary funding to local authorities so that they can preserve MNS funding. We listened to concerns about the timing of the Spending Review and therefore last week we announced that we would provide local authorities with around £24 million of further supplementary funding, to enable them to fully fund MNS for the whole of the 2019/20 academic year. Local authorities can feel reassured they can allocate September 2019 places in MNS with confidence.All expenditure that falls in the next Spending Review period, including the additional supplementary funding, is a matter for the Spending Review.

Languages: Education

Mr Ben Bradshaw: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans the Government has to develop a national languages strategy.

Nick Gibb: The Department have a number of initiatives in place to promote the uptake of languages and to improve attainment. The English Baccalaureate (EBacc) performance measure, which includes languages, has seen the proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) increase from 40% in 2010 to 46% in 2018. The reformed National Curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language in Key Stage 2.The £4.8 million MFL Pedagogy Pilot commenced in December 2018. It is managed by the newly appointed MFL Centre for Excellence and is run through nine school led hubs, to improve uptake and attainment in languages at Key Stages 3 and 4. We have also launched a pilot project in MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to drive up participation in the subject, specifically targeting areas of high disadvantage to extend access to languages for all pupils.Recruiting MFL teachers is a priority for the government. The Department offers generous financial incentives for languages teaching, including scholarships in modern foreign languages worth £28,000, and tax-free bursaries typically worth up to £26,000. The Department is also working in partnership with Spain’s Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to deliver Spain’s Visiting Teachers Programme to provide schools with access to a pool of qualified teachers from Spain who are able to teach MFL. For the 2019/20 academic year, the programme will be open to secondary schools and also (as a pilot) to primary schools. In addition to this, the Teacher Subject Specialism Training programme aims to improve the subject knowledge of non-specialist teachers and returning teachers in MFL and to increase the number of hours taught.The Department also launched the new Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which will attract new teachers to all subjects, including MFL.The Department continues to promote the value of language qualifications to students who are choosing their GCSEs. The Department recently published and promoted a guidance leaflet[1] for parents, which explains why studying a language, as part of the EBacc, broadens opportunities in both education and employment. In February, the Department drew attention to the benefits of studying a language among 13-14 year olds through a social media campaign.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc.

Apprentices: Taxation

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the contributions made to the apprenticeship levy by different sectors in each year since the introduction of that levy.

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of how much of the money from the apprenticeship levy has been used by employers from each sector in each year since the introduction of that levy.

Anne Milton: The apprenticeship levy is collected from employers by Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs. The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to register an industry sector when registering an apprenticeship service account and is therefore unable to supply information on the sectoral distribution of spending on apprenticeships in the format requested.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to HM Treasury, Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates 2018-19, Department for Education, Spending in DE, Line C School Infrastructure and Funding of Education (ALB) (Net), what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in that line of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line D Education Standards, Curriculum and Qualifications (Department) of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line E Social Care, Mobility and Equalities (Department) of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line F Social Care, Mobility and Equalities (ALB) (Net), of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Erasmus+ Programme

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the future of the Erasmus programme for UK students after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received on ensuring that UK students can participate in the Erasmus programme after the UK has left the EU.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with his EU counterparts on the UK seeking association to the next Erasmus programme regardless of whether the UK leaves the EU with a withdrawal agreement.

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the Government's funding mechanism for Erasmus+ underwrites will work in practice; and which body or bodies will be responsible for allocating that money to students.

Chris Skidmore: Under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement, UK-based organisations and individuals will be able to bid for funding, as well as participating in and leading consortia, for the duration of the current programmes. I have regular discussions with ministers from other government departments on preparations for leaving the EU, including on this issue.While securing a negotiated deal remains the government’s top priority, we are committed to ensuring that organisations, students and participating staff are prepared in the event of a no deal EU exit, and have accelerated no deal preparations to ensure we are ready for every eventuality. To provide more clarity, we published a new technical notice at the end of January, which provides detailed guidance to organisations and students on the UK’s anticipated participation in the current Erasmus+ programme (2014 to 2020) in the event of no deal. You can read this here: https://bit.ly/2GaP28y.As is set out in this notice, the government’s underwrite guarantee will cover the payment of awards to UK organisations for all successful (those that are approved directly by the European Commission or by the National Agency and ratified by the European Commission) Erasmus+ bids. This includes projects and participants that are only informed of their success, or who sign a grant agreement, after the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, and commits to underwrite funding for the entire lifetime of the projects.This is reliant on the UK government reaching an agreement with the EU for UK organisations to continue participating in Erasmus+ projects. The delivery of the government guarantee will seek to maintain the same processes as those that are currently in place where funding will be distributed to beneficiaries via the Erasmus+ UK National Agency.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and I meet with representatives of universities regularly to discuss the Department for Education agenda, and that has included the question of participation in the Erasmus+ programme. We have also discussed this in our frequent conversations with member state counterparts in the EU. For example, in recent months these have included discussions with German, Dutch and Polish ministerial counterparts, among others.With regards to the next Erasmus+ Programme (2021-27), the UK is open to participating in this. We have been considering the draft regulation for the successor scheme carefully and will continue to participate in discussions on them while we remain in the EU. Ultimately, participation in the successor programme is a matter for negotiations to come about our future relationship with the EU.

Standards and Testing Agency: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line G Standards and Testing Agency of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Teaching Regulation Agency: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line H Teaching Regulation Agency of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education and Skills Funding Agency: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line I Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line J Grants to LA Schools via ESFA of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Academies: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line K Grants to Academies via ESFA of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Higher Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line L Higher Education of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Further Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 202 of the Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding outlined in Line M Further Education of the estimate.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Higher Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to HM Treasury Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates 2018-19 Department for Education Spending in DEL, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital allocations set out at line N Higher Education (ALB) (net).

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Further Education: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to HM Treasury Central Government Supply Estimates 2018-19: Supplementary Estimates 2018-19 Department for Education Spending in DEL, what programmes are funded by the (a) resource and (b) capital funding set out at line O Further Education (ALB) (net).

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

World War II: Genocide

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps he has taken to ensure that pupils are (a) taught the history of and (b) well informed about the holocaust.

Nick Gibb: Teaching the history of the Holocaust is a compulsory part of the history curriculum at Key Stage 3 in maintained schools in England. The Department provides funding to University College London’s Institute of Education’s Centre for Holocaust Education to train teachers on how best to teach pupils about the Holocaust. In addition, it funds the Holocaust Educational Trust to run the Lessons from Auschwitz project which provides educational visits for teachers and sixth form students to visit Auschwitz-Birkenau. In October 2018, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced funding of £1.7 million for a new programme to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Bergen-Belsen. Education is a devolved matter, and approaches to Holocaust education may differ in Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland.

Children: Social Services

Giles Watling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking in advance of the Spending Review to ensure that children’s services departments are adequately funded.

Nadhim Zahawi: The government will consider long-term children’s services funding as part of the Spending Review which my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer has announced will take place this year. We are working closely with local authorities and the wider sector to build a robust evidence base on the levels of children’s services costs and pressures.

Department of Education: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Anne Milton: This department currently has 3 open consultations and 7 closed consultations awaiting publication of a government response. It has initiated (published) 106 consultations since January 2016.

Care Leavers: Social Services

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of care leavers aged 22-25 years old had contact with a personal adviser in the last 12 months.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers aged 22-25 years old have had contact with a personal adviser in each local authority area in the last 12 months.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers aged 22-25 years old there are in the Dorset County Council area.

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers aged 22-25 years old there are in the Poole Council area.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally.

Care Leavers

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers aged 19-25 years there are by local authority in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nadhim Zahawi: The latest national information on the number of care leavers aged 19 to 21 can be found in table F1 of the statistical release ‘Children looked-after in England including adoption: 2017 to 2018’: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. These figures are also disaggregated at local authority level for 2018 in the underlying data tables that accompany this statistical release.The department does not hold information on care leavers aged 22 to 25.

Care Leavers: Social Services

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many care leavers aged 19-21 years old have had contact with a personal adviser in each local authority area in the last 12 months.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole to the answer I gave on 12 March 2019 to Question 228093.

Children: Social Services

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress has been made on establishing the new National Stability Forum for Children’s Social Care; how the members of that Forum were selected; and what the terms of reference are for that Forum.

Nadhim Zahawi: The National Stability Forum was established in 2018 and had its first meeting in October 2018. It has since met in December 2018 and March 2019. The members are:Director General, Social Care, Mobility and Disadvantage (Chair).Chief Social Worker for Children and Families.The Association of Directors of Children’s Services President (or nominee).Chair of the Adoption and Special Guardianship Leadership Board.Chair of the Residential Care Leadership Board.One of the co-authors of the Foster Care in England Report. The membership has been drawn from sector bodies, and other individuals or organisations may be invited to attend meetings from time to time. The Chair will review the membership annually.The terms of reference are attached. 



229791_National_Stability Forum_Terms_of_reference
(Word Document, 296 KB)

Children: Social Services

Michael Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how the National Stability Forum for Children’s Social Care is working to engage stakeholders across the sector; how that Forum has promoted effective practice and delivery; and whether that Forum has presented any recommendations for taking a national policy approach to improving looked-after children’s outcomes.

Nadhim Zahawi: The membership of the National Stability Forum (NSF) has been established with the aim of improving stability for all children in the orbit of the care system. Its members are drawn from sector bodies, which engage with and reach out to stakeholders. Other individuals and organisations may be invited to attend meetings from time to time. Part of the NSF’s core role is to promote a clear message about the importance of stability for children in the care system.To date, the NSF has reviewed a range of publicly available data on children in care to better understand how the care system is promoting stability and permanence and has focused initial discussions on the care placement market. The NSF has also shaped and endorsed the fostering seed-funding, which was a commitment government made following the Foster Care Review, to take steps to address the challenges in sufficient placements in all areas and for all levels of need.

Children in Care: Missing People

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of looked after children in children’s homes inside and outside the borough who were reported missing by a) duration of missing incident and (b) age of child at the start of missing incident and (c) went missing more than once during the year for each year since 2015.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 15 March 2019



The department publishes information on looked after children who go missing from care in Tables G1 and LAG1 statistical release, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.A further breakdown of data regarding looked-after children who go missing in children’s homes is available in the attached tables. The data in the attached tables are experimental statistics and are not comparable between years as changes may be due to improved data recording. Local councils have improved their reporting of missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve understanding of reporting processes.



229650_229651_Missing_incidents_from children's_ho
(PDF Document, 25.51 KB)

Children in Care: Missing People

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children placed in children’s homes (a) inside the local authority responsible and (b) outside the local authority responsible were reported missing in each year since 2015.

Nadhim Zahawi: Holding answer received on 15 March 2019



The department publishes information on looked after children who go missing from care in Tables G1 and LAG1 statistical release, available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.A further breakdown of data regarding looked-after children who go missing in children’s homes is available in the attached tables. The data in the attached tables are experimental statistics and are not comparable between years as changes may be due to improved data recording. Local councils have improved their reporting of missing incidents through increased collaboration with partner organisations and carers, updated recording systems, and further training for carers to improve understanding of reporting processes.



229650_229651_Missing_incidents_from_children's_ho
(PDF Document, 25.51 KB)

European University Institute

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to his Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 224488 on European University Institute, whether he has consulted the European University Institute on the status of UK membership of the European University Institute Convention following the UK leaving the EU.

Chris Skidmore: My officials have met with the European University Institute (EUI) and have agreed to work together on the potential future relationship between the UK and the EUI, including options for future participation in EUI activities.

Pupil Exclusions

Bambos Charalambous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with Ofsted on how effective management of pupil exclusions can be strengthened in the new inspection framework for schools.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted is currently consulting on proposals for a new inspection framework. This includes a separate graded judgement on pupils’ behaviour and attitudes, within which inspectors will consider pupil exclusions. Ofsted has also proposed a new emphasis on examining any use of off-rolling as well formal exclusions. The Department engaged closely with Ofsted as it developed its consultation proposals, and that engagement continues.

Pupil Premium: Culture

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of pupil premium funding is spent by schools on artistic and cultural activities.

Nadhim Zahawi: The pupil premium is additional funding that schools are allocated to help improve the progress and attainment of disadvantaged pupils - those who have been in receipt of benefits-based free school meals at any point in the last 6 years, are currently looked-after or who have left care through adoption or other specified routes.Schools have flexibility over how they spend the pupil premium, as they are best placed to understand and respond to the needs of their disadvantaged pupils. The department does not routinely collect information from schools about their expenditure of pupil premium funding on particular activities.

Schools: Admissions

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) more parents are able to access a place at their preferred school and (b) permanently excluded children are able to access places at alternative mainstream schools.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 14 March 2019



On Secondary National Offer Day on 1 March, the vast majority of parents will have been offered a place at one of their preferred schools. The 2018 data showed that last year more than nine in ten pupils got a place at one of their top three choices setting them on the path for a successful future. Standards have also risen since 2010 with 86% of schools now judged as good or outstanding, compared to 68% in 2010, meaning there are more good schools for parents to send their children to.The Department has committed £7 billion between 2015 and 2021 to deliver new school places, which is on top of investment in the free schools programme. The latest data shows that 825,000 additional places were created between May 2010 and May 2017, with many more delivered since then and in the pipeline. The Department is on track to create 1 million new school places this decade, the largest increase in school capacity in two generations.Local authorities are responsible for arranging suitable full-time education for permanently excluded pupils, and for other pupils who (because of illness or other reasons) would not receive suitable education without such provision.

Children in Care

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked after children there were in each local authority in England in each of the last 10 years.

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many looked-after children there were in Cumbria in each of the last ten years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The latest national information on the number of looked-after children in England can be found in table A1 of the statistical release ‘Children Looked After in England Including Adoption: 2017 to 2018’ at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/children-looked-after-in-england-including-adoption-2017-to-2018. These figures are also disaggregated at local authority level for the latest 5 years in the underlying data tables that accompany this statistical release. Figures for earlier years can be found in the underlying data that accompanies earlier statistical releases: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-looked-after-children.

Specialist Schools: Restraint Techniques

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many complaints he has received on the use of restraint in specialist schools in each of the last five years.

Nadhim Zahawi: The information requested is not held centrally. This is because our system for recording correspondence to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State logs cases by number and name and does not fully capture the category of complaint. As a result, we cannot search to identify complaints relating to the use of restrictive practices in special schools.

European University Institute

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of 11 March 2019, Official Report, column 20, by the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation on the European University Institute (EUI), what the evidential basis is for the Minister's statement that the UK cannot be a member of the EUI if it is not an EU member state.

Chris Skidmore: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

IGCSE

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment his department has made of the adequacy of the current regulations on IGCSEs, and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Education: Equal Pay

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the level of gender-based pay inequality in the education sector in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) data provides the pay gap in the UK between male and female teaching and education professionals. Gender pay gap tables are available at: www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/datasets/regionbyoccupation2digitsocashetable3). The latest ONS ASHE 2018 provisional data shows that the median pay gap in the UK between male and female teaching and education professionals is 6.1%. ‘Teaching and education professionals’ includes teaching staff across Early Years, Schools, Further Education and Higher Education. Approximately two thirds of ‘teaching and education professionals’ are in schools. In schools, the National Foundation for Educational Research’s 2017 evaluation of the teacher pay reforms found no evidence to indicate that females were disadvantaged by the current pay system.

IGCSE

Lucy Powell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will place in the Library a copy of correspondence in the last year between Ofqual and universities on International GCSEs.

Nick Gibb: This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

Schools: Opening Hours

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the number of schools in England operating on reduced hours by (a) closing schools on one day a week and (b) shortening the normal school day.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Special Educational Needs

Jess Phillips: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the  number of schools in England (a) have or (b) are planning to close their resource base provision for children with special educational needs.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Special Educational Needs: Restraint Techniques

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education of 11 March 2019, Official Report, column 12 on Support for Pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities, what are the terms of reference of the root and branch review of restraint his Department is undertaking with the Department for Health and Social Care; and what plans he has to consult with (a) children, (b) parents and (c) representatives of interested organisations as part of that review.

Nadhim Zahawi: Following extensive engagement with interested parties, the Department for Education and the Department for Health and Social Care launched a consultation on draft guidance on reducing the need for restraint and restrictive intervention for children and young people with learning disabilities, autistic spectrum conditions or mental health needs. The consultation sought views on how well the draft guidance would help a range of settings and services to support children and young people recognised as being at higher risk of restraint. The proposed scope of the guidance was health and care settings, special schools and specialist colleges. The consultation closed last year and we are currently considering the responses.

Pupil Premium

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of changes in the level of take-up of the pupil premium in each year since 2015; and what assessment his Department has made of the causes for such changes in the level of take-up.

Nadhim Zahawi: Eligibility for the pupil premium is founded on the number of pupils recorded through the annual school census as claiming free school meals (FSM) currently or at any point in the last 6 years. The numbers and proportions of pupils attracting pupil premium each year are published here: https://www.gov.uk/search/advanced?group=guidance_and_regulation&topic=%2Feducation%2Fpupil-premium-and-other-school-premiums.This shows a small downward trend in the proportion of pupils attracting the pupil premium since 2015, from 27.07% of the pupil population in 2015 to 25.13% in 2018. The reduction is seen in a large number of areas across the country and is related to there being fewer parents than in previous years claiming the benefits which would make their children eligible for FSM.Schools and local authorities have worked hard over recent years to encourage all eligible families to register for FSM, to ensure that schools receive the full amount of pupil premium funding to which they are entitled. We provide an eligibility checking system to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities, and have developed a model registration form to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM.

Schools: Standards

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools are rated (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires Improvement and (d) inadequate by Ofsted in each decile of income deprivation in which the school is located in each region.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of schools are rated (a) outstanding, (b) good, (c) requires Improvement and (d) Inadequate by Ofsted, in each region of the country, by decile of the proportion of pupils in the school eligible for and claiming free school meals.

Nick Gibb: Ofsted published statistics on 29 November 2018 that show the records of 21,763 schools inspected in England as at 31 August 2018. The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Schools: Insulation

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the number of school buildings with flammable cladding.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the written answer of 8 February 2018 to Question 126694 on Schools: Fire Extinguishers, whether his Department has completed the further work that will enable him to provide figures on sprinklers fitted in all schools delivered centrally by the Education and Skills Funding Agency.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Priority School Building Programme

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many new school buildings have been built in phase one of the Priority Schools Building Programme.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Justice

Courts: Reform

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the revised completion date of the courts reform programme on (a) the cost of the programme and (b) the predicted date when the cumulative benefits of the programme are expected to be greater than the cumulative costs.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prisoners' Release

Victoria Prentis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how often (a) resettlement day release and (b) overnight release has been used in the last 12 months.

Victoria Prentis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effect of (a) resettlement day release and (b) overnight release on resettlement outcomes.

Lucy Frazer: The latest information available shows that in the 12 months to September 2018 there were 340,163 incidences of resettlement day release involving 7,232 individuals, and 19,107 incidences of resettlement overnight release involving 4,955 individuals. Data on release on temporary licence is published quarterly and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/offender-management-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018 Resettlement day and overnight release are the most common forms of release on temporary licence (ROTL) and allow suitable, risk assessed prisoners to be released to undertake activities linked to the sentence plan that will ease their transition back to the community. There is promising international evidence to suggest that temporary release is associated with better post release employment outcomes, as well as lower re-arrest rates, return to custody rates, and re-imprisonment rates. The MoJ published research in 2018 entitled ‘The reoffending impact of increased release of prisoners on temporary licence’ showed that for those given ROTL in the six month period leading up to release, increased use of it during this period was associated with reduced reoffending. After controlling for some other variables that might influence prisoner’s outcomes (such as demographic characteristics, offending history and prior ROTL failure)- Each additional Resettlement Day Release was associated with 0.5% reduced odds of reoffending over a one-year follow-up period- Each additional Resettlement Overnight Release was associated with 5% reduced odds of reoffending over a one-year follow-up period

Cremation

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will list all the crematoria in England operating within the 50-yard requirement of Section 5 of the Cremation Act 1902.

Lucy Frazer: Section 5 of the Cremation Act 1902 requires that a crematorium must be sited at least 50 yards from a public highway. It is a criminal offence for cremation to take place at a crematorium which does not meet this requirement. The Ministry of Justice does not keep a record of whether individual crematoria comply with this requirement.

Young Offenders: Restraint Techniques

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether a record is kept of restraint for good order and discipline during detained children’s escort to and from (a) young offender institutions, (b) secure training centres and (c) secure children’s homes.

Lucy Frazer: We do not hold or collect specific data on whether restraint was used for good order and discipline on detained children during escort to and from Young Offender Institutions (YOIs). Prior to July 2016, data in relation to the reasons for the use of restraint during escorts to and from Secure Training Centres (STCs) and Secure Children Homes (SCHs) was not collected. Data that is held and which has been collected since then is not broken down between STCs and SCHs and there have been no recorded incidents after this period.  The safety and welfare of young people held in custody is our highest priority. Restraint is only ever used as a last resort, where there is a risk of harm, and no other form of intervention is possible or appropriate. Every incident of restraint is reviewed individually by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) staff, this includes the review of any incident forms and in-vehicle CCTV footage to consider whether any lessons can be learned for the future. In addition, Charlie Taylor has been asked to review the Department’s policy on the use of pain-inducing techniques in the restraint of young people in the secure estate, including when they are under escort, to ensure that our approach remains appropriate for the youth estate and in line with the latest research. He is due to report back to Ministers with his findings in Summer.

Witnesses: Video Conferencing

Ann Coffey: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of how many non-court sites where vulnerable witnesses may provide evidence (a) are operational and (b) will be operational in the next 12 months.

Lucy Frazer: Holding answer received on 14 March 2019



HMCTS works closely with other criminal justice partners to enable vulnerable witnesses to provide evidence from non-court sites, where appropriate. There are over 2,000 operational video links, with remote links in each HMCTS region. These provide victims and witnesses with the opportunity to give evidence away from the court room. In addition, where appropriate, vulnerable witnesses are able to give evidence from another Crown Court site. HMCTS is leading work with criminal justice partners to update information held about all non-court sites including their operational status. This work will enable the provision of the information requested.

Dangerous Driving: Prosecutions

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been prosecuted for causing serious injury by dangerous driving in each of the last five calendar years.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people have been convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving in each of the last five calendar years.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving received a suspended sentence in each of the last five calendar years.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the average prison sentence given to people jailed for causing serious injury by dangerous driving was in each of the last five calendar years.

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people convicted of causing serious injury by dangerous driving received the maximum five year jail sentence in each of the last five calendar years.

Lucy Frazer: The number of people who have been prosecuted, convicted and given suspended sentences or immediate custodial sentences for causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and the average custodial sentence length in each of the last five years has been published up to December 2017 and can be found in the ‘Outcomes by offence data tool’, available at the following link: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733981/outcomes-by-offence-tool-2017-update.xlsx In the Offence filter, select ‘4.12 Causing serious injury by dangerous driving (MOT)’, and the table will populate with the proceedings and outcomes for this offence by calendar year:Prosecutions – row 23Convictions – row 24Suspended sentences – row 34Average custodial sentence length – row 54 In the last five years, bespoke analysis shows that 3 offenders found guilty of the offence ‘causing serious injury by driving’ received a 5 year custodial sentence; 1 in 2013 and 2 in 2017.

Sentencing: Females

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of women in prison on a sentence of imprisonment for public protection that have children.

Lucy Frazer: There are 10,018 IPP prisoners, of which 344 are women. We know that when coming into contact with the criminal justice system, some women choose not to disclose that they have children. Data is therefore not currently collected on numbers of prisoners with children (whether that be total numbers of children or dependent children). Our Female Offender Strategy is committed to improving outcomes for women at all stages of the justice system, and this includes supporting those who have children. We know that female prisoners are more likely than male prisoners to be a primary carer and imprisoned mothers are more likely to be living with their children prior to custody – around 60% of women compared with about 45% of men in prison who have children. Figures from a 2015 data matching exercise with the Ministry of Justice and the Department for Work and Pensions showed that between 24% and 31% of all female offenders were estimated to have one or more child dependents. We recognise the impact that imprisonment of a parent can have on families. That is why we have asked Lord Farmer to continue his work on the importance of family ties by conducting a further review into female offenders in custody and the community. Lord Farmer is expected to report his findings to Ministers shortly.

Prisons: Contracts

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many expressions of interest his Department received from private-sector providers in the Framework Agreement for the provision of prison operator services in England and Wales.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will publish a list of the private-sector providers which submitted an expression of interest in his Department’s Framework Agreement for the provision of prison operator services in England and Wales.

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will place in the library a copy of the Prison Operator Services Framework Competition document.

Lucy Frazer: Following the launch of the competition to establish a framework of prison operators, from which the operators of the new prisons at Wellingborough and Glen Parva will be selected, the department received 20 expressions of interest from potential providers.Due to commercial sensitivity, the department will not publish the list of the private-sector providers that submitted expressions of interest. However, of these 20, six potential providers submitted Selection Questionnaire responses (G4S, Sodexo, Serco, MTC, Interserve, MITIE).On 6 December, the department held an event where potential bidders were given the Operator Competition Services Brochure. I have placed a copy in the House library.

Prisons: Private Sector

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many privately operated prisons have a regime management plan in place.

Lucy Frazer: All regime management matters lie with Contractors. Regime Management Plans are only required for public sector prisons. However, operators of privately managed prisons are required to ensure they maintain a safe, decent and secure prison as per their contractual obligation. The performance of all providers continues to be robustly managed. We will not hesitate to take action if and when standards fall short. Each privately managed prison has a full-time on-site Controller employed by HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) whose role it is to monitor performance at the prison across a range of indicators. If the contract management team are concerned that outcomes are affected by problems related to regime management, then this will form part of contract management processes and this will be raised with the provider. If we require outcomes to be improved we will expect that action by the provider will address regime matters.

Treasury

Tax Yields

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the amount of revenue to the Exchequer as a result of measures to tackle tax evasion and avoidance introduced in 2010.

Mel Stride: This government has introduced over 100 measures to tackle tax avoidance, evasion and other forms of non-compliance since 2010 which, alongside HMRC’s compliance work, have secured and protected an additional £200 billion in tax revenue which would otherwise have gone unpaid.

Tax Avoidance

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps he is taking to help prevent UK businesses from avoiding paying tax through profit fragmentation.

Mel Stride: Last year HMRC secured and protected over £30 billion by clamping down on tax avoidance, evasion and non-compliance. This has been possible, in part, as a result of HMRC’s work on the OECD-led Base Erosion and Profit Shifting project, and the successful introduction of new rules such as the Diverted Profits Tax. This Government announced a new package of measures at Budget 2018 that further strengthen the existing rules. This package included a specific measure aimed at tackling tax avoidance involving the fragmentation of UK business profits. These Profit Fragmentation rules ensure that the amount of business profits that should be taxable in the UK are fully-taxed in the UK.

Tax Avoidance: Greater London

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate his Department has made of the number of individuals subject to the  2019 Loan Charge in (a) Lewisham, Deptford constituency, (b) London Borough of Lewisham and (c) London.

Mel Stride: The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans will apply to outstanding DR loan balances on 5 April 2019. It is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid in the form of non-repayable loans made by a third party. The loans are provided on terms that mean they are not repaid in practice, so they are no different to normal income and are, and always have been, taxable. The charge on DR loans is expected to raise £3.2bn for the exchequer. The majority, 75%, is expected to come from employers rather than individuals. The best option for those individuals who are worried about the introduction of the charge on Disguised Remuneration loans is to come forward and speak to HMRC as soon as possible. They will work with all individuals to reach a manageable and sustainable payment plan wherever possible. HMRC has put special arrangements in place so that they are able to agree a payment plan of up to five years automatically for those with income below £50,000 and seven years for those with income below £30,000 where those scheme users are no longer engaging in tax avoidance. HMRC may be able to offer a longer payment plan for those that need more than five or seven years or with income over £50,000, where further information is provided. The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the charge on DR loans, either by settling with HMRC or paying the charge which applies from 05 April 2019. Information is not held at constituency, borough or local authority level.

Tax Avoidance

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what provision has been made to ensure that disguised remuneration scheme providers are liable for the tax on fees taken from each individual’s income during that scheme's operation.

Mel Stride: This Government is committed to tackling all forms of avoidance. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has a suite of powers to tackle and challenge those who promote or otherwise enable tax avoidance and HMRC is using its powers to challenge major promoters of avoidance schemes, including disguised remuneration (DR) avoidance schemes. Fees earned by promoters of tax avoidance form part of their business income on which tax has to be paid. Promoters are subject to compliance checks as any other individual or business to ensure they are paying the correct amount of tax due. Since 2014, HMRC has accelerated its efforts to tackle and challenge avoidance scheme promoters and enablers using both existing and new robust powers given by Parliament. HMRC set up a dedicated team that has been investigating over 100 promoters and others involved in avoidance, including disguised remuneration arrangements, over recent years.

Revenue and Customs: Secondment

Layla Moran: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many staff have been seconded from HMRC to other Government departments (a) since June 2016, (b) in the last 12 months and (c) in the last six months.

Mel Stride: The following table details the figures requested:TypeJune 2016Last 12 monthsLast 6 monthsHMRC staff moving to other Government Departments for agreed period of time513231150

Minimum Wage: Non-payment

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many third party complaints of non-payment of the national minimum wage were received by the HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team in each calendar year since 2015.

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps the HMRC National Minimum Wage Enforcement Team has taken to promote national minimum wage compliance in the (a) shipping and (b) offshore energy industries in each calendar year since 2015.

Mel Stride: The government is determined that everyone who is entitled to the National Minimum and Living Wage (NMW) receives it. Anyone who feels they have been underpaid NMW should contact the Acas helpline on 0300 123 1100 or via the online complaints form at gov.uk. HMRC reviews all complaints that are referred to them. The number of third party complaints received for each is as follows: 2015 - 20164182016 - 20178062017 - 20182,154  HMRC encourages compliance with NMW legislation through a rolling programme of targeted enforcement which incorporates a range of promotion activities targeted at employers and workers. The rise in complaints during 2017-18 is in part due to HMRC promotional activities. For example, HMRC produced seafarers leaflets in 2018, and webinars in 2016 and 2017 aimed at Union Officers including the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport workers.

Freezing of Assets: Venezuela

Helen Goodman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what the legal basis was for the Bank of England’s decision to freeze approximately 1125 gold bars stored by the Venezuelan central bank in November 2018.

Robert Jenrick: Holding gold reserves on behalf of any foreign central bank is a matter for the Bank of England. Ultimately, the Bank is responsible for dealing with requests from its customers should they wish to repatriate their gold. HM Treasury only has direct control over the UK Government’s own holdings of gold within its official reserves, which are held at the Bank of England.

Occupational Pensions

Stephen Kinnock: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Financial Conduct Authority in protecting people transferring out of pensions schemes.

John Glen: Assessing the harm caused by unsuitable pension transfer advice and identifying the most effective ways to reduce it is a key priority for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). Last year, the FCA issued new rules and guidance on improving the quality of pension transfer advice. These provide advisers with a framework to better enable them to give good quality advice so that consumers can make better informed decisions. In December 2018, the FCA concluded a review on pension transfer advice which reviewed the suitability of the advice. The FCA has also requested data from every firm with permission to advise on defined benefit (DB) pension transfers to provide a complete picture on the market. Following the analysis of this information, the FCA will begin a wide-ranging programme of activity with firms in 2019. In addition to this, the FCA and The Pensions Regulator published a joint strategy in October 2018 which includes a workstream on improving member and consumer outcomes from DB pension transfers.

Roadchef: Employee Benefit Trusts

Jessica Morden: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent progress has been made on resolving the dispute between HMRC and  the Roadchef  Employee Benefits Trust; and if he will publish a Written Statement on that matter after the meeting that will be held between those parties on 27 March 2019.

Mel Stride: The administration of the tax system is a matter for HM Revenue and Customs. It would not be appropriate for Treasury Ministers to become involved in the administration of the tax system in specific cases.

Revenue and Customs: Telephone Services

Neil Coyle: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the HMRC's helpline established to help advise people affected by the introduction of the loan charge.

Mel Stride: HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) has put in place a specific helpline for those who have used disguised remuneration (DR) schemes. Individuals and companies can use this helpline to discuss their avoidance scheme use, and options around reaching a settlement with HMRC. Call handlers are trained to support all customers, including those who might be vulnerable. They will suggest customers seek more specialised help in appropriate cases. HMRC increased resources on the helpline in September 2018 to handle the additional calls. The effectiveness of the helpline is kept under regular review by HMRC. Since November 2018, HMRC has answered around 13,000 calls with an average speed of answer of less than 60 seconds. DR schemes are contrived arrangements that pay loans in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. The charge on DR loans is expected to raise £3.2bn for the exchequer. The majority, 75%, is expected to come from employers rather than individuals. The best option for those individuals who are worried about the introduction of the charge on Disguised Remuneration loans is to come forward and speak to HMRC as soon as possible. They will work with all individuals to reach a manageable and sustainable payment plan wherever possible. HMRC has put special arrangements in place so that they are able to agree a payment plan of up to five years automatically for those with income below £50,000 and seven years for those with income below £30,000 where those scheme users are no longer engaging in tax avoidance. HMRC may be able to offer a longer payment plan for those that need more than five or seven years or with income over £50,000, where further information is provided.

Revenue and Customs: Staff

Peter Dowd: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 228762 on Revenue and Customs: Staff, how many staff were employed in HMRC's Operational Appeals and Reviews Units in each year since 2010.

Mel Stride: The table below shows the approximate full time equivalent (FTE) staff in Operational Appeals and Reviews Unit on 31 March for each financial year since 2010. Before April 2016, appeals and reviews were carried out in a number of teams across HMRC. The figures for 2012/13 to 2015/16 are in respect of the Appeals and Review Unit attached to our Compliance Business. HMRC does not have numbers for the other teams that carried out appeals and reviews. From April 2016 HMRC took the decision to brigade all appeals and reviews work and bring them into its Solicitors Office and Legal Services. The numbers from 2016/17 show the total number of staff in HMRC carrying out this work. In line with HMRC’s retention policy, HMRC does not hold relevant data for the years 2010/11 and 2011/12.  YearFTE2010/11Data not retained2011/12Date not retained2012/13302.392013/14300.362014/15324.002015/16361.002016/17548.632017/18541.35

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the cumulative impact of social security changes from 2010 on disabled people.

Elizabeth Truss: The Treasury, along with other relevant departments, carefully considers the impact of its decisions on those sharing protected characteristics - including at Budgets and other fiscal events - in line with both its legal obligations and with its strong commitment to promoting fairness. The Treasury regularly publishes detailed analysis of trends in income and the impact of policy decisions on tax, welfare and public spending on households of different incomes.We spend over £50 billion a year on benefits to support disabled people and people with health conditions, and the number of working age disabled people in employment has increased by 930,000 since 2013.

Schools: Finance

Angela Rayner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of 5 March 2019 of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Official Report column 804, what the evidential basis is for her statement that the Government is increasing school funding in real terms per pupil.

Elizabeth Truss: The total core schools and high needs budget has risen from almost £41bn in 2017-18 to £43.5bn in 2019-20. In July 2017 the Government invested an extra £1.3 billion into this budget to protect overall per-pupil funding in real terms from 2017-18 to 2019-20.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Local Government

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what recent steps his Department has taken to support local authorities' preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

Rishi Sunak: Government is working hard to provide local authorities with the support and information they need to prepare for Brexit. The Secretary of State has allocated over £58 million to help councils prepare for Brexit. The Department's programme of Brexit events for local government has been attended by more than 350 senior local government officers, representing more than 200 councils. The Department has created a network of nine regional council chief executives across England, working alongside the Local Government Association, to act as a vital communications link with the local government sector.

Local Government: Land

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the effect of maintaining a five-year land supply on the ability of local authorities to reject planning applications.

Kit Malthouse: The Government does not monitor the decisions made by local authorities on planning applications. Planning applications must be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations, including national planning policy, indicate otherwise. This means that the best way for local authorities to prevent the success of speculative applications is to have an up-to-date development plan and maintain a five year land supply of deliverable sites for housing.

Tenancy Agreements

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress he is making in his plans to enable more people to have longer tenancies than the typical six months which is generally offered.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is committed to protecting the rights of tenants and giving them more security. We recently consulted on ways to overcome the barriers to landlords offering longer, more secure tenancies in the private rented sector.We are considering responses to the consultation and will be bringing forward proposals that make the system work for both tenants and landlords. We will provide more information on next steps shortly.In the meantime, there is nothing to stop landlords offering a longer tenancy. We have published a model tenancy agreement which landlords and tenants can use as the basis for longer, family friendly tenancies, available for free at www.gov.uk/government/publications/model-agreement-for-a-shorthold-assured-tenancy. In addition, the measures announced in the Housing White Paper resulted in many of the largest build to rent operators offering their tenants the option of longer tenancies.

Housing: Sheffield City Region

Mr Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to 228561 on Housing: Construction, whether any local authorities in the Sheffield City Region will be eligible for funding under each of those proposals.

Kit Malthouse: No area in England is excluded from this funding. We welcome applications or bids from any and all parts of the Sheffield City Region.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will set out where in the building regulations or guidance issued by his Department before the Grenfell Tower fire it was made clear that the limited combustibility requirements in the guidance covered the core filler of a cladding panel.

Kit Malthouse: Requirement B4 of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 requires that the external walls of a building shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls. This provision has been in place since 1985. The approved document gives guidance on how these requirements may be met. Paragraph 12.5 of Volume 2 of Approved Document B sets out that the external envelope of the building should not provide a medium for fire spread if it is likely to be a risk to health and safety. The provisions relating to limited combustibility in paragraph 12.7 of the Approved Document B have, since the version published in 2006, included references to insulation products, filler material etc.

Buildings: Safety

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has made a recent assessment of the effect on levels of building safety of private building control companies providing other building-related services on construction projects which they sign off as safe.

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department has made any assessment of the impact of the part-privatisation of building control on fire safety in residential buildings.

Kit Malthouse: In July 2017, the Government commissioned an Independent Review into Building Regulations and Fire Safety. The review was published in May 2018 and identified several issues relating to the existing building control system. The Government accepted the report’s findings and we will consult in Spring 2019 on the best way to implement its recommendations.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 11 March 2019 to Question 229147 on Buildings: Insulation, whether his Department plans to test standard class High-Pressure Laminate panels or fire-retardant High-Pressure Laminate panels.

Kit Malthouse: The independent expert panel have recommended that this test be carried out on a system incorporating a commonly used high pressure laminate panel which meets European Class B.

Ministry of Defence

Syria: Internally Displaced People

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what protection UK and Allied forces can provide to internally displaced persons in (a) Rubkan camp and (b) northern Syria.

Mark Lancaster: As part of the Coalition, UK aircraft are providing support to the Syrian Democratic Forces who are clearing the last pocket of territory held by Daesh in Syria. The UK remains at the forefront of the humanitarian response to the Syria crisis. UK aid is providing life-saving support to millions of displaced Syrians, including those in acute need at Rukban camp and across northern Syria. I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for International Development (Alistair Burt) on 14 March 2019 to Question 229602.



Syria: Internally Displaced People
(Word Document, 27.6 KB)

AWACS: Procurement

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the grounding of Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft, whether he has made a risk assessment of the award of the AWACS contract to Boeing for the provision of the E-7 wedgetail.

Stuart Andrew: The E-7 is based on the proven and widely used 737 NG aircraft generation of which nearly 7,000 have been produced since it was first introduced in 1996. The two recent tragic incidents involved the different 737 MAX aircraft generation. It would not be appropriate to speculate on these accidents until the competent regulatory bodies have issued their formal reports.

Ascension Island: Airports

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 4 July 2017 to Question 2035 on Ascension Island: Airports,  whether a timetable of works has been agreed with the US Department of Defense and the US Department of State on their plans for interim repair work and a full resurfacing programme of Wideawake airfield on Ascension Island.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence continues to liaise closely with the US Department of Defense (DOD) and the Department of State regarding their plans for interim repair work and a full surface resurfacing programme. The DOD's intent is to reward a developing resurfacing contract in late 2019 with an expectation the work will take 24 months.

Warships: Procurement

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 February 2019 to Question 220113 on Warships: Procurement, whether he plans to classify the Littoral Strike Ship as a warship.

Stuart Andrew: The classification of the Littoral Strike Ship is yet to be determined. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the right hon. Member for North Durham (Mr Kevan Jones) on 12 February 2019 to Question 220113.



220113 - Warships: Procurement
(Word Document, 21.77 KB)

Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance: Appeals

Laura Pidcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the length of time claimants are waiting for a decision to be made on their mandatory reconsideration of carer’s allowance claims in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Justin Tomlinson: Holding answer received on 11 March 2019



Average Actual Clearance Times (AACT) for a Mandatory Reconsideration for a Carer’s Allowance claim are shown in the table below.  Apr 2018May 2018Jun 2018Jul 2018Aug 2018Sep 2018Oct 2018Nov 2018Dec 2018Jan 2019Feb 2019Average Actual Clearance Time (working days)0.81.00.70.80.90.80.80.80.71.615.6  Source: Decision Making and Appeals Case Recorder (DMACR). This is unpublished data based on internal management information. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision. The increase in clearance times in February 2019 was due to work being undertaken on the Carer’s Allowance backlog and this has resulted in more older cases impacting the AACT. This backlog is due to be cleared by the end of April 2019.

Employment and Support Allowance: Appeals

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 04 March 2019 to Question 226128 on Employment and Support Allowance: Arrears, whether it remains her Department policy that 50 per cent of Presenting Officers attend tribunals.

Justin Tomlinson: As previously explained, the Department has recruited 150 Presenting Officers (PO) with further recruitment planned. Adding these to existing POs will help the Department increase its attendance across all benefits, with ESA and PIP the priority. However, it is our main objective to ensure that POs attend hearings of those complex cases where their presence will be of most benefit to the tribunal in reaching the right decision.

Universal Credit

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to Answer of 28 January 2019 to Question 211713 on Universal Credit; when the (a) minutes of the meeting between the Social Security Advisory Committee and officials in her Department and (b) joint report will be published.

Alok Sharma: The minutes of the meeting on 30 January 2019 have been published and are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/782301/ssac-minutes-jan-2019.pdf The joint report will be published in due course.

Universal Credit

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to ensure the managed migration pilot phase will include sufficient numbers of claimants who are deemed to be vulnerable to allow for the collection of meaningful data on how vulnerable claimants can be safely migrated.

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans are in place to evaluate the managed migration pilot phase; whether that evaluation will be an independent evaluation; and whether her Department plans to publish an evaluation report.

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government is taking steps to ensure that claimants in the managed migration pilot who are deemed to be vulnerable are not put at risk due to their benefits stopping.

Alok Sharma: The pilot phase will allow the Department to test our processes carefully to ensure that claimants on all legacy benefits with a range of characteristics can be successfully moved onto Universal Credit. The Department is working with a wide and diverse range of stakeholders to design the process and we are currently developing the detailed planning on how we will start the pilot process, including which groups or individuals we will begin to move to Universal Credit. The pilot will be evaluated to ensure that the design of our processes meet the desired outcomes of supporting all eligible legacy claimants to make a claim for Universal Credit and to put in place transitional protection, where appropriate. The Department has committed to reporting its findings from the pilot to the House of Commons before we continue with the process. We will be providing any necessary support to those claimants who are part of the pilot to ensure they are fully supported throughout. Subject to Parliamentary approval, of the draft Universal Credit (Managed Migration Pilot and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2019, discretionary hardship payments will be available from July 2019 to support the successful transition of claimants who are moved from legacy benefits to Universal Credit and experience hardship. From July 2020 we are introducing a two-week run-on for all those on Employment Support Allowance, Income Support or Jobseeker’s Allowance who move to Universal Credit and their claim for Universal Credit terminates their existing benefit award. The two-week Transitional Housing Payment is already available to eligible claimants who move from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Terminal Illnesses

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of using existing data to pre-populate Universal Credit applications for people who are (a) terminally ill and (b) in the support group; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department has no plans to pre-populate Universal Credit applications for a number of reasons. We want to ensure data is accurate and up-to-date to avoid transferring errors from legacy benefits to the Universal Credit system. Furthermore, the legacy system does not have all of the information needed for a Universal Credit claim. Implementing a claim on inaccurate data will lead to inaccurate awards and claimants not receiving the money they are entitled to. It is also important to note that not everyone will want to move on to Universal Credit and the Department cannot simply assume that all existing claimants want to claim Universal Credit. We have however said that we will use existing decisions or verification to make aspects of the process easier. For example, if a claimant has an existing Work Capability Assessment decision, there will be no requirement to have another assessment in order to receive the disability elements of Universal Credit. Also, for claimants who do not have any work-related requirements, we already operate a digital claimant commitment acceptance process and we will carry that forward when moving claimants over to Universal Credit without a change in circumstances.

Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy

Hugh Gaffney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,pursuant to the Answer of 25 February 2019 to Question 223219 on Personal Independence Payment: Epilepsy, how many people with epilepsy who were in receipt of disability living allowance but did not receive an award as a result of a reassessment for personal independence payment have chosen to appeal that decision through (a) mandatory reconsideration and (b) a tribunal.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) reassessments is shown in the table below. Personal Independence Payment (PIP) initial decisions, Mandatory Reconsiderations (MRs) and appeals for claimants with a primary disabling condition of Epilepsy, April 2013 to September 2018, Great Britain  ReassessmentsInitial Decisions28,880Initial decisions - disallowed due to failing the assessment15,600Of which MR registered10,710Appeal lodged5,750  Under PIP, 27 per cent of working age claimants with epilepsy recorded as their primary disabling condition receive the highest level of support compared to 6 per cent under Disability Living Allowance when PIP was introduced.NotesData is based on primary disabling condition as recorded on the PIP computer system. Claimants may often have multiple disabling conditions upon which the decision is based but only the primary condition is shown in these statistics. The disability subgroup of Epilepsy in the PIP Computer System includes Cataplexy, Generalised seizures (with status epilepticus in last 12 months), Generalised seizures (without status epilepticus in last 12 months), Narcolepsy, Partial seizures (with status epilepticus in last 12 months), Partial seizures (without status epilepticus in last 12 months) and Seizures - unclassified.PIP data includes normal rules and special rules for the terminally ill claimants.Data has been rounded to the nearest 10.Appeals data taken from the DWP PIP computer system’s management information. Therefore this data may differ from that held by Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service for various reasons such as delays in data recording and other methodological differences in collating and preparing statistics.An appeal can only be made against a decision which have gone through the Mandatory Reconsideration process. The number of people who registered an MR and the number of people who lodged a tribunal appeal cannot be added together.Claimants who have received benefit decisions more recently may not yet have had time to complete the claimant journey and progress to appeal.

Occupational Health

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the current shortfall in the number of occupational health professionals.

Justin Tomlinson: We have not made an assessment which would specifically address this question. However, we know that the number of specialist occupational health physicians has steadily declined over the past two decades. A report from the All Party Parliamentary Group on Occupational Safety and Health highlighted the need to address occupational medicine workforce capacity. A 2016 report from the Council for Work and Health also highlighted similar findings. The Government is working with its Occupational Health Expert Group to shape measures to improve access to high quality occupational health. This includes looking at the occupational health workforce to ensure sufficient expert capacity is available in the future. Health Education England, through its National School of Occupational Health, has also been involved in this work. We will set out our proposals in a consultation exercise in 2019. We have also commissioned research to better understand the current market supply and delivery structures of OH provision and its operation. Findings are due to be published in 2019.

Universal Credit

Hywel Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total number and proportion of universal credit claimants who have applied for advance payments is in each of the past five years; and what number and proportion of such applications have been approved.

Alok Sharma: Applications for a Universal Credit advance can be made in a number of ways: in person, by telephone and also online. To identify and collate the total number of applications made would incur disproportionate cost. Consequently, we do not hold the information requested. Universal Credit claimants may be eligible for an advance payment, in order to provide extra financial support for those who need it most. The Department has increased the maximum advance a claimant may receive at the start of their claim to 100 per cent of their indicative award and has extended the repayment period to 12 months. From October 2021, this maximum repayment period will be extended further to 16 months. Around 60% of eligible new claims to Universal Credit received an advance in January 2019. This shows that claimants are being made aware of advances and that our advance system is being utilised so people receive help when they need it.

Universal Credit

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce length of time it takes for a claimant to receive their first universal credit payment after the claimant’s first assessment period has ended.

Alok Sharma: The Department has implemented a range of measures to support claimants during the transition to Universal Credit. New claimants can apply for a Universal Credit advance within 72 hours and can receive payment within a day if needed. We have previously increased the maximum amount available for advances from 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the claimant’s total indicative award, and have increased the repayment period from 6 months to 12 months. Since April 2018 Housing Benefit claimants moving on to Universal Credit are also provided with a ‘transition to Universal Credit housing payment’, equivalent to 2 weeks of housing costs. Additionally, Autumn Budget 2018 announced plans to introduce, from July 2020, a two-week run-on of Employment Support Allowance Income Related (ESA IR), income based Jobseeker’s Allowance and Income Support (IS) which provides an extra two weeks of benefits for people moved onto Universal Credit from those benefits. These run-on payments are intended to help claimants during their first assessment period, as they wait for their first monthly payment, and do not need to be repaid.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Bradford East

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many job seeker's allowance claimants in Bradford East were subjected to sanctions in each year from 2010.

Alok Sharma: The number of job seeker's allowance claimants who have been sanctioned by parliamentary constituency is published and can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance for users is available at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.htmlSanctions are only used in a small percentage of cases, and that is when people fail to meet their agreed commitments without good reason. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities, domestic emergencies and any evidence of good reason, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.

Disability: Cost of Living

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the report entitled, The Disability Price Tag 2019, published by Scope in February 2019, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all families with disabled children receive adequate support under universal credit to help meet additional costs.

Justin Tomlinson: The disabled child addition (DCA) is intended to provide extra support as caring responsibilities can mean parents of disabled children are less able to take up work and may need extra support for longer periods than others. In order to provide families with disabled children an adequate amount of support to meet additional costs, payment have been aligned through two different rates which are dependent on the rate of DLA/PIP the child is in receipt of. A disabled child that is entitled to the lower rate will receive £126.11 a month and a disabled that is entitled to the higher rate will receive £383.86 per month. These rates are both payable on top of the Child Element in Universal Credit.       The total amount of tax free, state support available to a higher rate DLA care and mobility child, together with child benefit and Universal Credit can be worth over £16,000.

Personal Independence Payment: Leeds

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average waiting time was for a hearing for a claimant appealing a personal independence payment decision in Leeds in 2018.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average wait is for personal independence payment claimants in Leeds to attend a tribunal hearing.

Justin Tomlinson: Information on the average waiting time to a first tribunal hearing and to attend a tribunal hearing is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Justice publish statistics on the average (mean) age of a case at disposal. This is the average number of weeks from receipt in Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) to the final outcome within the period. It will include cases cleared at hearing and cases cleared without a hearing which include strike outs, superseded and withdrawals prior to a hearing. An appeal may not necessarily be cleared at its first hearing. These statistics are available by Tribunal Venue in the Tribunal Statistics CSV files, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics

Access to Work Programme

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve information for (a) job seekers and (b) employees on the support available through Access to Work.

Justin Tomlinson: Access to Work continues to undertake targeted marketing and awareness raising activities. For example, the scheme is promoted to benefit claimants through Jobcentre Plus and to a range of business leaders through the Disability Confident scheme. We have also worked with a variety of stakeholder organisations to market Access to Work to their clients, including sharing information about how individuals can apply for support. We are currently testing a number of communication activities to raise awareness of Access to Work among Jobcentre Plus staff in Greater Manchester, in order to equip work coaches with the knowledge to have conversations with customers who may require in work support. We will evaluate the most successful methods before a national roll-out. Access to Work is also reviewing the content and formats of its existing information channels, including considering how to achieve more effective use of alternative formats such as British Sign Language videos.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of claimant complaints relating to the late receipt of letters advising of appointments with health professionals which did not arrive in time to allow for claimants' attendance at such appointments in each year for which such data is available.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not held in respect of Personal Independence Payment contracts. With regards to the Health Disability Assessment Service (HDAS) contract, during contract year 4 (March 2018 to February 2019), Centre for Health and Disability Assessments have advised us that they received 15 complaints relating to the late receipt of appointment letters. Of these 15 complaints, 6 individuals were unable to attend their scheduled appointment.

Universal Credit: Disability

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the effect of the introduction of universal credit on disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson: Most disabled people are better off under Universal Credit than the legacy system.More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average around £100 more per month.Disabled claimants have the biggest work allowance of any group, and benefit from the unified taper and removal of rules such as ‘permitted work’ that put a cap on how much money disabled people can earn. Universal Credit also, for the first time, helps people with a disability or health condition who are already in work to remain there and progress.

Universal Credit: Disability

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of natural migration to universal credit on severely disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson: Our Regulations will ensure that eligible claimants in receipt of Severe Disability Premium are only moved to Universal Credit as part of a managed migration process, and through that process will see their payments protected. We are spending over £3 billion on Transitional Protections for 1.1 million households, to ensure that no one loses out at the point of transition. We have also made provision for those eligible claimants who have already naturally migrated to Universal Credit to be considered for Severe Disability Premium transitional payments. These will be made as on-going monthly payments and an additional lump-sum to cover the period since they moved to Universal Credit.Over £2.4 billion in benefits are currently unclaimed and Universal Credit ensures that vulnerable claimants receive the money they are entitled to. More severely disabled people will receive higher payments under Universal Credit, with around 1 million disabled households gaining on average around £100 more per month.

Social Security Benefits: Disability

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effect of benefit (a) sanctions and (b) conditionality on disabled people.

Justin Tomlinson: The department has not made an assessment of the effect of imposing sanctions and conditionality on disabled claimants.

Christmas Bonus

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in receipt of (a) personal independence payment and (b) disability living allowance were (i) entitled to the £10 Christmas bonus and (ii) received that Christmas bonus in 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: The Christmas Bonus is a one-off tax-free £10 payment paid to claimants who receive certain qualifying benefits including Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA). To qualify, the claimant must be in receipt of the qualifying benefit in the qualifying week which is normally the first full week of December. If a DLA or PIP claimant receives another qualifying benefit their bonus may be attached to that benefit rather than to their PIP or DLA award. The Department publishes a range of detailed statistics for PIP and DLA on Stat-Xplore: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/. These statistics include monthly caseloads (claims in payment) to August 2018 for DLA and to October 2018 for PIP. Caseloads for December 2018 have not yet been published.  Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/index.html. The number of claimants, regardless of qualifying benefit, who received the Christmas Bonus in 2017/18 can be found in Table 1c of the “Outturn and forecast: Autumn Budget 2018 (XLS)” spreadsheet in the 2018 Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables.  Outturn figures for 2018/19 will be published in due course.

Christmas Bonus: Non-payment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have contacted her Department since 1 December 2018 on non-payment of the 2018 Christmas bonus.

Guy Opperman: The Christmas Bonus was first paid in 1972 as a result of The Pensioners and Family Income Supplement Payments Act 1972 and was introduced as a means of providing additional financial support to customers in receipt of a pension or qualifying benefit. Both Pensioners and working age customers in receipt of certain benefits receive the tax-free £10 Christmas Bonus and payments are usually automatically generated based on receipt of a qualifying benefit. For the 2017/2018 qualifying period (latest data available) 15,922000.00 (fifteen million, nine hundred and twenty two thousand) DWP customers received the Christmas Bonus. DWP does not retain information relating to the number of customers who contacted the Department to report non-payment of the Christmas Bonus as it does not have a business requirement to do so. Therefore, this information is only available at disproportionate cost to The Department for Work & Pensions.

Personal Independence Payment: Work Capability Assessment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the oral contribution of the hon. Member for Oldham East and Saddleworth, Official Report column 969, how she plans to merge the personal independence payment and work capability assessment processes; who will take part in that merger; whether there will be (a) a pilot and (b) an independent evaluation of that merger; and who will provide that assessment service.

Justin Tomlinson: The Health Transformation Programme within DWP has been established to transform the currently separate Work Capability Assessment service for Employment Support Allowance and Universal Credit, and the Personal Independence Payment assessment service, into a single integrated service from 2021.As with any major change, this will take time to design, and it will be rolled out carefully – learning as we go. We need to take time to get this right and we will be seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders to ensure that the new service is one that works for our customers and that we safely transition to the new arrangements. We will continue to keep the most appropriate method of delivery under review and we believe assessment providers will continue to play an important role. For any elements that are outsourced, we will run a procurement process compliant with the Public Contracts Regulations.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the medical records of claimants will be made available automatically to her Department as part of the new digital system for social security assessments.

Justin Tomlinson: Medical records of claimants are not automatically available to my Department. We use explicit and informed patient consent to access patient information from the NHS to support applications for health related benefits. The new digital platform will streamline this process to the benefit of claimants.

Social Security Benefits: Medical Examinations

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to improve the (a) quality, (b) validity and (c) reliability of the (i) work capability and (ii) personal independence payment assessments.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department is committed to ensuring individuals receive high quality, objective and accurate assessments. We continue to work extensively with providers to make improvements to guidance; training and supplier audit procedures in order to ensure the quality of the services is continuously improved.All elements of the providers performance are monitored including the requirements for the quality of assessments, which are assessed through independent audit, with feedback provided to the provider.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,  what proportion of universal credit claimants have verified their identity face-to-face in a jobcentre in each year for which information is available.

Alok Sharma: The table below shows the proportion of UC Full Service claimants that attended a face to face meeting in order to provide evidence of their identification. Calendar YearProportion of Claimants201688%201778%201868% Notes:The data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. The data should therefore be treated with caution. We have previously answered a PQ stating that 38% of claimants verify their identity successfully online. The percentages may not appear to add up for the following reasons: We cannot rule out the possibility that some of the people in the table above also tried the verify their ID online. However, if there are any such people they are likely to be small in number. The figures are based upon claims that successfully had their ID verified and accepted a claimant commitment. This is to ensure consistency with other Departmental figures on UC claims. All figures have been rounded to the nearest percentage point.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what methods universal credit claimants can use to confirm their identity other than face-to-face at a jobcentre or using GOV.UK Verify.

Alok Sharma: Claimants can verify their identity by one or more of the following:GOV.UK Verifydocumentary evidencebiographical testbiographical checkgather and confirmknow and recognise If a claimant is unable to confirm their identity at a Jobcentre or using our Verify system, a home visit can be arranged.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Insects: Conservation

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the study published in the journal Biological Conservation entitled Worldwide decline of the entomofauna: A review of its drivers, what steps his Department will take to reverse the decline of the insect population.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The study referred to by the Rt. Hon. Member highlights a global issue that requires both global and national action. UK scientists have been at the forefront of delivering assessments by the Intergovernmental Platform for Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES). The IPBES global assessment for pollinators concluded that wild pollinators, including many insect groups, have declined in Europe and North America. Data deficiencies precluded assessment in other parts of the world. Regional assessments came to similar conclusions for wider biodiversity, including insects. In Europe, for example, ongoing strong declines were identified in most species groups. The UK Government acknowledges and is committed to addressing the declines. Internationally, we are determined to play a leading role in the development of an ambitious strategy under the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, when its current framework expires in 2020. At the most recent Conference of the Parties to the Convention, in November 2018, we supported action such as the adoption of a global plan for the conservation and sustainable use of pollinators. At the national level, the Government’s indicators of the abundance of UK butterflies show long term declines since 1976 but no significant change since 2012. Our indicator of pollinating insects in the UK tells a similar story - overall distribution has declined since 1980 but has stabilised in recent years. We are keeping these trends under review as encouraging but not yet definitive signs of progress. The Government gathers further data on the status of UK pollinators through a UK-wide pollinator monitoring and research partnership, established in collaboration with research institutes and volunteer organisations. The 25 Year Environment Plan commits to improving the status of insects and each of the four countries of the UK has its own strategy to protect pollinators. We will continue to work in partnership with scientists and practitioners for future generations to inherit a better environment.

Recycling: Nottinghamshire

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the recycling rates in Nottinghamshire in each year since 2015.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Defra has calculated the Nottinghamshire District and Borough Councils' yearly percentage of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting since 2015. They are as follows: 2014/152015/162016/172017/18Ashfield District Council32.5%31.8%41.0%40.8%Bassetlaw District Council19.2%20.1%21.1%24.8%Broxtowe Borough Council39.0%38.5%39.9%38.5%Gedling Borough Council36.2%35.6%36.7%35.2%Mansfield District Council35.8%34.5%34.6%32.6%Newark and Sherwood District Council27.0%30.3%31.9%31.9%Rushcliffe Borough Council49.0%49.0%50.4%50.2%Nottinghamshire County Council42.8%42.5%44.2%43.7%

Flood Control: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the adequacy of flood prevention schemes in small conurbations in Oxfordshire.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Across Oxfordshire, the Environment Agency (EA) and partners have successfully delivered two capital schemes to provide better protection from river flooding to 108 properties since 1 April 2015. The full programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management schemes, including schemes completed in the whole of the Thames area, can be found here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/programme-of-flood-and-coastal-erosion-risk-management-schemes. A number of communities have been identified by the EA and its partners where temporary barriers could be used for flood mitigation. These temporary barriers are put up to protect homes and businesses when there is an increased risk of flooding. The EA has an environment programme which looks at flood mitigation methods such as Natural Flood Management, focusing on areas where capital schemes are not viable and where the greatest gain can be achieved for the environment. Every year the EA carries out maintenance of the watercourses in high risk areas. This includes making sure that trash screens are clear, assets are working and vegetation is cleared as needed. Last year in Oxfordshire, £1million was spent on the maintenance programme.

Flood Control: Oxfordshire

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Environment Agency is receiving adequate funding to prevent flooding in smaller conurbations in Oxfordshire.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is investing £2.6 billion between April 2015 and March 2021 to better protect the country from flooding and coastal erosion. This includes over 1,500 schemes, which will improve protection for 300,000 homes in that period. The Environment Agency (EA) works in partnership to get the best value for money from Government funding. Partnership funding helps schemes to go ahead, reducing the risk of flooding for homes and businesses. In Oxfordshire, the EA have constructed two schemes (Benson Weir works and Northway and the Marston Flood Alleviation Scheme) since April 2015, which received £8.4million of funding and reduce flood risk to 108 homes. The EA also mitigates flood risk through routine maintenance and clearance of waterways. In Oxfordshire last year the EA spent £1million through a maintenance programme, which focuses on communities with high flood risk. The EA’s environment programme, which includes projects such as Natural Flood Management, has spent a further £650k since April 2015. The planned Oxford Flood Alleviation Scheme will cost £150million and will be paid for by a combination of Government and partnership funding. It will reduce flood risk to all properties affected by the Thames in Oxford.

Peat Bogs

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the value of blanket bog peat lands to (a) carbon sequestration and (b) flood prevention.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Blanket bogs can act as a source or sink of carbon depending on their condition. Near natural condition blanket bogs sequester small amounts of carbon per hectare per year (0.7 to 2.8 tonnes carbon dioxide equivalents); however, the largest climate mitigation benefit of restoring blanket bog peatlands is from avoided emissions of greenhouse gases, rather than carbon sequestration, as degraded blanket bogs are more significant sources of greenhouse gases. Research funded by Defra shows that restoring upland peat habitats can slow overland water flow leading to delayed and reduced peak discharge in small catchments. However, it remains difficult to demonstrate the benefits of peat management on flood prevention in larger catchments.

Air Pollution

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of deaths that can be attributed to poor air quality in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK in each year since 2010.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The latest advice from the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, published in August last year, is that the mortality burden of the air pollution mixture (based on both PM2.5 and NO2) in the UK is equivalent to 28,000 to 36,000 deaths per year. Mortality burden is a statistical way of assessing the impact of diseases and pollution. The equivalent figures at a more localised level are not available. Public Health England has, however, estimated the fraction of adult mortality attributable to long-term exposure to particulate air pollution at local authority level in the Public Health Outcomes Framework, available to view and search online at: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/public-health-outcomes-framework.

Coeliac Disease: Food

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made on the effect on the supply chains of coeliac produce of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: The UK has a high degree of food security, built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. This will continue to be the case whether we leave the EU with or without a deal.Our Food Security and Resilience team have been meeting weekly with industry and retailers to make sure we are prepared for all scenarios. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry to minimise potential disruption and we are using these to support contingency planning.

Chemicals: Regulation

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the debate of 25 February 2019, on Exiting the European Union (Consumer Protection) motion debate, Official Report column 75, what progress has been made on setting up the IT system intended to support the establishment of UK REACH.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: In the event of a no-deal scenario, the UK REACH IT system will provide the critical functionality needed to support UK REACH and provide continuity for UK business. REACH IT is being built in a phased approach, prioritising all essential industry user functions for the end of March 2019. This will enable industry to register new chemicals and those with existing REACH registrations to provide the UK Agency, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), with details to verify those registrations. We have tested this system in recent weeks with over 100 industry users, receiving positive feedback during its testing phase. The decision was made not to switch to deploying contingency plans as we are confident that the UK REACH IT system will be ready from 29 March.

Home Office

Asylum: Contracts

Stuart C. McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the transition from the asylum accommodation COMPASS contracts to the Asylum Accommodation and Support Transformation contracts, whether transition, risk management and contingency plans have been shared with local authorities in participating asylum dispersal areas.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office has designed the Asylum Accommodation and Support Transformation project to replace the current asylum accommodation and support services to ensure a smooth transition of services from one Provider to another.The current timetable allows eight months for mobilisation and transition activities, which is similar to the time that such activity took when the current contracts came into operation.The transition governance structure means that we are now working closely with local authorities and other statutory partners to ensure a smooth transition. Regional Transition leads are working to ensure that their regional plans are co-ordinated on a local basis with strategic stakeholders to manage risks and to ensure effective contingency measures are in place to minimise impacts to all Service Users.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory: Animal Welfare

David Duguid: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Defence on animal welfare standards at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down.

Mr Ben Wallace: The UK has stringent requirements for the welfare standards of animals used in science. The requirements are set out in the Guidance on the operation of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA) that explains how the act is administered and enforced https://www.gov.uk/guidance/guidance-on-the-operation-of-the-animals-scientific-procedures-act-1986All establishments that use animals in science must fully comply with the Code of Practice for the housing and care of animals bred, supplied or used for scientific purposes. The Code provides advice about the way in which those responsible under ASPA may comply with those requirements. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/animal-research-technical-advice#code-of-practice-for-the-care-and-accommodation-of-animalsAll licensed establishments are inspected by the Home Office Animals in Science Regulation Unit to provide assurance of compliance with the requirements of ASPA. All Home Office inspectors are fully registered medical practitioners in the UK or Members of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.

Home Office: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Victoria Atkins: All consultations published by the Home Office and their status, including responses, are available on GOV.UK at this page: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations

Immigration: EU Nationals

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 26 February 2019 to Question 222793 on applications for looked-after children through the EU Settlement Scheme, how many of the 19 applications made on behalf of looked-after children were made by (a) local authorities and (b) supporting organisations.

Caroline Nokes: In the most recent phase of testing, the Government made provision for eligible children and care leavers looked after by one of five local authorities specified in Immigration Rules to make an application to the EU Settlement Scheme. The five local authorities participating made 19 applications on behalf of looked after children.Seven voluntary support organisations were also permitted to support EU citizens to make an application during this test phase.

Immigrants: Detainees

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish the time taken for each Emergency Travel Document application to be secured for a person in immigration detention for each of the last five years.

Caroline Nokes: The information you have requested is not in a reportable format and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. The Home Office continues to work closely with diplomatic missions in the United Kingdom and representatives of receiving countries for the timely issuing of travel documentation to support the return of their nationals

Police Custody

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what information his Department holds on the total spend on legal representation for police (a) forces and (b) staff at inquests on people who have died as a result of police contact.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office does not collect this information. It is a decision for individual Police and Crime Commissioners whether to cover the costs of legal representation for their personnel.The Home Office has provided guidance for PCCs which is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/0102017-guidance-to-local-policing-bodies-on-providing-financial-assistance-to-police-officers-and-staff-facing-legal-proceedings

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many meetings he held with his Department's Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.

Mr David Lidington: I refer the Right Honourable Member to my answer given to Question 198752 on 7 January 2019.

Government Digital Service: Disability

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what steps his Department is taking to increase neurodiversity within the Government Digital Service.

Oliver Dowden: The Government Digital Service (GDS) Disability Forum is used to represent the voice of neurodiverse staff within GDS. The GDS Disability Champion is a member of the Senior Leadership Team. GDS staff can also access the Disability Confident tools and guidance:Becoming disability confident online training.Philip Rutnam’s regular blogs, as part of his role as Civil Service Disability Champion.General Disability Confident guidance on how to attract, recruit and retain disabled employees.The autism and neurodiversity toolkit for managers provides practical guidance on supporting people who have neurodiverse conditions into employment. ABLE, the Cabinet Office Disability Network, works to remove barriers so that staff with disabilities, including those on the neurodivergent spectrum, have equal opportunities and are empowered to achieve. Across government, the Civil Service Disability Network represents the voice of all disabled staff across government, supplemented by condition-specific sub-networks such as the Civil Service Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Network. The civil service networks contribute to cross-civil service diversity and inclusion activity through the Employee Voice Group (EVG). EVG is attended by Chairs of the cross-government diversity staff networks.

Government Digital Service: Training

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what mandatory cybersecurity courses are offered by the GDS Academy.

Oliver Dowden: As the functional lead for Digital, Data and Technology, GDS has responsibility for digital skills across government. At present, no mandatory cybersecurity courses are offered by the GDS Academy. The Government Digital Service (GDS) works closely with colleagues at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the Government Security Group (GSG) who provide training on cyber security across government. GSG also leads the Government Security Profession, which includes cyber security professionals across government.

Blood: Contamination

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with relation to the oral contribution from the Prime Minister on 20th February 2019 in Volume 654, Column 1465, whether the  commitment to waiving legal privilege in respect to the Infected Blood Inquiry was made on behalf of all Government Departments or just the Department of Health and Social Care.

Mr David Lidington: The Government is committed to full disclosure to the Infected Blood Inquiry, and no historical record or document relevant to the Inquiry will be withheld from it.In his statement on Disclosure and Legal Professional Privilege (LPP), Sir Brian Langstaff recognized that the right to assert LPP is preserved in the context of public inquiries by section 22(1) of the Inquiries Act 2005. He also recognised that, given the passage of time that the Inquiry will be investigating, many of the LPP and confidentiality issues will have eroded and this is the Government’s position also.

Conflict, Stability and Security Fund

Helen Goodman: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if the Joint Funds Unit will (a) conduct and (b) publish regular reviews of Conflict, Security and Stability Fund programmes for which information is not publicly available.

Mr David Lidington: All programmes are subject to Annual Reviews, which assess a number of technical and programme management standards including financial and risk management, value for money, conflict and gender sensitivity, as well as contextual factors such as changes to the political environment. The JFU is working hard to increase transparency and there is a presumption to publish. We have now published two Annual Reports, 76 programme summaries for 2018/19 (in addition to the 62 programme summaries published for 2017/18) and 42 Annual Review summaries for 2016/17. We are due to publish 64 Annual Review summaries for 2017/18 reviews, shortly.Due to the highly sensitive nature of some of the CSSF’s work, it is not possible to publish details of all programmes. The two key reasons why it may not be possible to make programme documentation public are to protect national security and to protect the safety and security of beneficiaries, partners and partner Governments.

Cabinet Office: Communication

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what his Department's budget for communications was in each of the last three years for which data is available.

Mr David Lidington: The Cabinet Office Communications Unit budget was £1,153,000 for 2016/17, £1,669,000 for 2017/18 and £1,886,000 for 2018/19.

Department for International Trade

Trade Agreements

Susan Elan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will commit to excluding the NHS and other public services from future trade deals.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Honourable Friend for Clwyd South to the answer I gave to the Member for Midlothian on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

Trade Agreements: Public Sector

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps the Government will take to exempt the NHS and other public services from future trade deals.

George Hollingbery: I refer [the Honourable Friend for Birkenhead] to the answer I gave to [the Member for Midlothian] on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

Trade Agreements: Public Sector

Jared O'Mara: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he is taking to ensure that (a) the NHS and (b) other public services will be excluded from future trade deals.

George Hollingbery: I refer [the Honourable Friend for Sheffield Hallam] to the answer I gave to [the Member for Midlothian] on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

Trade Agreements: NHS

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what steps he plans to take to ensure that future trade deals do not require the NHS to outsource further services to private providers.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Honourable Friend for Westmorland and Lonsdale to the answer I gave to the Member for Midlothian on 26 February 2019, UIN 224364.

Trade Agreements: NHS

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, if he will make it his Department's policy to exclude health services from all future trade agreements.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Honourable Friend for Leeds North West to the answer I gave to the Member for Midlothian on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

Trade Agreements: Public Sector

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is his policy to exclude contracts for the delivery of (a) NHS and social care services and (b) other public services from future trade negotiations after the UK leaves the EU.

George Hollingbery: I refer the Honourable Friend for Newcastle upon Tyne North to the answer I gave to the Member for Midlothian on 26 February 2019, UIN 224362.

Trade Agreements

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is the Government's policy to support future trade agreement which will reduce existing (a) consumer, (b) environmental and (c) animal welfare protections.

George Hollingbery: When we leave the EU, we will maintain our current domestic levels of protection for consumers, the environment and animal welfare. We will keep our existing UK legislation, and the EU Withdrawal Act will convert EU law into UK law as it applies at the moment of exit. We are clear that more trade should not come at the expense of the high levels of protection we enjoy in the UK. The UK’s outstanding reputation for quality is what drives demand for UK goods and is key to our long-term prosperity. The government has no intention of harming this reputation.

Trade Agreements

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether it is his policy to support the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement-style measures in future trade agreements.

George Hollingbery: We are currently reviewing our trade and investment policy and are considering a wide range of options in the design of future bilateral trade and investment agreements. We have completed four online public consultations on potential future trade agreement negotiations with the USA, Australia, New Zealand and on the UK Government potentially seeking accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). We are now considering the responses.

Common Customs Tariffs

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential effect of maintaining regulatory alignment and the Common External Tariff with the EU on the work of his Department.

George Hollingbery: The Government has set out its position on the Future Economic Partnership (FEP) with the EU in the Political Declaration and White Paper on ‘The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union’. The FEP will be consistent with the UK’s ambitions as a global trading nation, recognising the development of our independent trade policy beyond the economic partnership with the EU. Alongside its work to negotiate market access and trade deals, the Department for International Trade (DIT) continues to help businesses to export, encourage and facilitate inward and outward investment, and champion global free trade. DIT’s objectives are set out in its Single Departmental Plan, available on GOV.UK.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Radicalism

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the definition of extremism used by OFCOM is aligned with the definition used by his Department.

Margot James: As an independent regulatory body, Ofcom’s duties and powers are set out by Parliament in legislation. This does not include a definition of extremism but sets Ofcom a wider duty to protect the public from harmful and offensive material, and directs Ofcom to set content standards, through a code, for television and radio. Ofcom’s Broadcasting Code sets out standards around harmful and offensive broadcast material; incitement of crime, disorder, hatred or abuse; and responsible religious programming.

Garden Bridge Trust

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department plans to undertake an inquiry into the Garden Bridge Trust; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: The Charity Commission have scrutinised the Garden Bridge Trust trustees’ conduct and the management of the charity carefully and continue to monitor the charity’s progress in winding up. The Charity Commission intends to publish a concluding report on the running of the Garden Bridge Trust. This is to set out wider lessons policy makers and others can draw from it. It is important to note the Charity Commission has a specific role to look at the extent to which trustees are meeting their legal duties and whether charities are complying with charity law. It is not in the regulatory remit of the Commission to examine other issues such as the merits of a project or how it is funded.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Public Consultation

Peter Dowd: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many consultations by his Department (a) are open, (b) are closed awaiting a Government response and (c) have been initiated since 2016.

Margot James: A total of 73 consultations have been initiated since 2016. These consultations have collected responses from stakeholders and the public. Of these 73 consultations, 4 are currently open to stakeholders and the public and 13 have closed and now await a government response .

Broadband: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to improve access to high speed broadband for small rural businesses.

Margot James: We are working closely with the Department for Economy team in Northern Ireland on the £165m Project Stratum who are finalising Invitation to Tender documents in relation to issuing the OJEU Procurement by the end of April. This will extend Superfast coverage in Northern Ireland to approximately 98% of premises and include many small rural businesses.  Recently, the Full-Fibre Northern Ireland Consortium of 10 local councils were successful in the award of £15m under the DCMS Wave 3 of the Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) programme. This is in addition to the DCMS LFFN Wave 2 Belfast City Council £11.5m and the Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon £2.4m projects. These projects will all help to provide more full-fibre to public buildings in urban and rural areas and this should encourage commercial suppliers more cost-effectively to reach more premises. These projects form part of the investment of almost £300m, to stimulate commercial full fibre investment in both urban and rural areas across the UK, by 2021. This includes the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme, which can be used by small businesses to contribute to the installation cost of faster connections over gigabit-capable infrastructure.   The £200m Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme, due to launch in Spring, will also benefit rural businesses. The programme will trial a model for full fibre to public buildings - starting with primary schools - which will act as hubs in rural areas, alongside vouchers for funding gigabit-capable connectivity to homes and businesses across the UK.   These programmes address hard to reach areas and meet the needs of the challenging connectivity issues experienced by small rural businesses.   To ensure no-one is left behind, we are introducing a broadband Universal Service Obligation to give everyone a clear, enforceable right to request high-speed broadband by 2020.

Charities: Finance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) a maximum level of funding for the administration and (b) guidance on the pay structure of charitable organisations to ensure that an adequate level of funding is allocated to their charitable causes.

Mims Davies: Under charity law, a charity’s trustees have a legal duty to act in the best interests of the charity and its beneficiaries. This is a cornerstone of charities' independence.Charity trustees need to consider a number of factors, including securing value for money for the charity, and the impact of their decisions on public trust.Charities should be transparent about their administration costs, including executive pay, so that members of the public can decide whether or not they want to support the charity.

Video Games

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, how many video games businesses have breached the Competition and Markets Authority’s set of Principles for Online and App-based Games since 2014; and how many of those businesses were British games companies.

Margot James: We are not aware of such data being published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). As an independent non-ministerial department tasked with promoting competition and protecting consumers, the CMA is looking at a wide range of consumer issues in digital markets, including apps and terms and conditions. This includes international co-operation through ICPEN and other networks. The CMA's Principles for Online and App-based Games set out the steps companies need to take in order to comply with relevant consumer legislation. The CMA retains an interest in in-app purchases and will take further action if necessary.

Technology: Females

Stephen Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps the Government is taking to increase the number of women who work in the (a) tech and (b) ICT sectors.

Margot James: This is a critical issue and the government has set an ambition for 50% of students at Ada, the National College for Digital Skills, to be women by 2020. The £1million Digital Skills Innovation Fund was launched in 2018, specifically aiming to help people from underrepresented groups (such as women) to take up digital roles. The Institute of Coding consortium will be looking to boost diversity in technology-related education and careers. Government has provided £20 million to help fund this consortium. We are investing £84m of new funding over the next four years to deliver a comprehensive programme to improve the teaching of the computing curriculum. This includes a pilot of targeted activities to identify effective approaches to improve gender balance in computing and increase the number of girls who take up computer science. The Digital Skills Partnership, launched in the Digital Strategy, is also tackling diversity on a national and local level, such as in Coventry via the West Midlands Local Digital Skills Partnership, where PWC’s Tech She Can programme are piloting their new Tech We Can lesson plans to attract more girls to STEM subjects and tech careers. We also support the Tech Talent Charter (TTC) which has over 300 signatories, and gives organisations tangible actions they can adopt to become more gender-diverse and commits signatories to measuring the diversity profile of their UK employees in tech roles.

Prime Minister

Prime Minister: Chief Scientific Advisers

Norman Lamb: To ask the Prime Minister, how many meetings she held with her Department’s Chief Scientific Adviser between 1 December 2018 and 28 February 2019.

Mrs Theresa May: I have regular meetings with ministerial colleagues, officials and others.

Women and Equalities

Sexual Harassment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the legislation on sexual harassment in the workplace.

Victoria Atkins: The Government strongly condemns sexual harassment in the workplace, and is committed to seeing it end.The UK has some of the strongest workplace protections in the world. These include explicit protections against sexual harassment in the workplace under the Equality Act 2010, and the Government will be consulting this summer on whether these should be further strengthened.

Government Equalities Office: Procurement

Anneliese Dodds: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the guidance entitled, Procurement policy note 03/14: promoting tax compliance, how many suppliers were allocated contracts by her Department as a result of complying with (a) one and (b) more than one of the mitigating circumstances after failing the tax compliance questions.

Victoria Atkins: GEO have reviewed their relevant contracts and no contracts have been awarded to supplier in which the mitigating circumstances, with regards to tax compliance, apply.